Forget Me Not
by angelbunnycakes
Summary: Naruto leaves on an important ANBU mission that goes horribly wrong, and she does not return until many years later. But things have changed since her absence. She suddenly finds herself living in Sasuke's house and ends up taking care of his kids. Will these two finally come to love each other, or has Sasuke been forgotten from Naruto's heart? FemNaru/Sasu
1. Prologue: Return

I always had this story in my files, so I have finally decided to upload it! Hope you like it :)

By the way, shinobi means ninja.

* * *

**Prologue: Return**

* * *

The long awaited storm had finally hit Konoha.

The wind was fierce and unrelenting as it howled and lashed out at the trees, ripping out leaves and branches in its fury, sometimes even uprooting the trees itself. Rain and hail splattered onto the ground in an uncontrollable frenzy, and the forest was inundated as the lake had overflowed from the inordinate amount of rainfall. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky, its angry heavenly message made known to all for miles around.

And to make things worse, it was a cloudy, moonless autumn night. The world was thrown into pitch black darkness as soon as the storm hit.

It was to this kind of weather and night that Ino had found herself stuck on sentry duty with Chouji. She was not in a good mood as she sat on a sturdy tree branch, soaked to her skin and only preventing herself from freezing to death by using some old chakra trick she had learned as a Chuunin. And even so, she was not warm enough; too much chakra use would alert some unknown adversary of her presence, and Konoha definitely had one too many enemies these days. Being at war with two neighboring countries sucked – and Ino had to find that out the hard way.

"Fuck it all, Chouji," Ino hissed into the darkness. "I don't want to be here. It's not my shift!"

Chouji's voice came from somewhere down on the ground, and Ino cursed her bad luck again – it was so damn dark that even her enhanced, chakra-spiked eyes could not pick out the chubby ninja, who Ino was sure was right below her. "Today is Shino's birthday."

"I know that!" Ino snapped. "But if I can't see even you, how are we supposed to spot the enemy?" She heard Chouji snort.

"They are damn stupid if they plan an attack tonight. It would be impossible to distinguish between friend and foe in this weather." A munch was heard from below, and a vein on Ino's forehead pulsated.

"Chouji, what could you possibly be eating right now? It's flooding, the sky is splitting in two, and you can still find the energy to eat?"

"Do you want some?"

Ino wisely ignored that question. "It doesn't make sense to be on duty."

"Better safe than sorry."

Getting angrier at Chouji's nonchalant attitude, Ino decided to shut up and ignore the fat ninja, fuming quietly to herself. _Shino owes me so much for this, _she thought to herself. _I could be at home with Sai and the kids right now._

"Wait, do you hear that?"

Ino glared down at the direction of Chouji's voice, knowing full well that he can't see her but hoping that he can at least feel the intensity of her death vibe. "I can't hear anything over your chewing, Chouji."

A branch cracked somewhere not far in the distance.

Ino stilled, her blood freezing. It was definitely not the wind nor the water that broke the branch. _No way! _she thought. _Please don't let this be an enemy attack._

Another few cracks.

Definitely the sound of someone slowly walking towards them.

_What the fuck? Who would be walking leisurely in this weather?_

Ino felt Chouji's chakra spike and knew he was getting ready to attack. She jumped down quietly onto the ground next to the fat ninja, noticing with great irritation that he had been snacking on beef jerky. The kunoichi decided to save her nagging until after the fight.

Chouji and Ino then finally felt the chakra presence of the unknown prowler, and they both narrowed their eyes, trying in vain to make out the intruder's form. For some reason, Ino felt some sort of familiarity to this chakra signature, but she couldn't place her finger on it. It was…

Another snap of a twig was heard, and Chouji stepped forward. "Who are you? Identify yourself!"

There was silence, only the splatter of raindrops to be heard.

Another footstep.

Ino flinched, and she took out two shuriken. "We're serious," she growled menacingly. "Either identify yourself to us _now_ or you'll soon be telling your information to the Devil himself."

To Ino's surprise, the chakra signature of the intruder suddenly sparked and went out for a few seconds before it gradually fluctuated back to life again.

_Is this person… injured?_

Chouji and Ino quickly made eye contact, and Ino knew that Chouji had felt it too. Nonetheless, they both stayed wary and in the offensive, wondering if it was some sort of trick. An ambush might be waiting for them if they fell for it.

"Who are you?" Ino screamed into the darkness, her pent-up anger and frustration getting the best of her. "Fuck you, dammit and – "

A rumble of thunder rolled over the horizon, and an ensuing flash of lighning split across the sky, illuminating the forest for a split second. But the split second was all Chouji and Ino needed. They both gasped as they saw their trespasser for the first time.

She was covered in so much blood. Blood on her hair, her face, her clothes. Even a trail of blood, which the flood was quickly washing away. had formed behind her. There was no way it could all be hers… could it?

But that was not what stunned Ino and Chouji. No, they were staring at her hair and her eyes, which could not be mistaken for anyone else's.

Although dulled from pain and fatigue, her cerulean eyes…

Although stained with blood, her golden hair…

There was no way.

"Na… Naruto?" Ino gasped, dropping the shuriken in her shock. "It can't be… You disappeared six years ago! They told us you _died_!" Ino took an instinctive step forward but she was stopped by Chouji, who was just as bewildered but still keeping his guard .

"Naruto!" Ino yelled again. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Is it really you_?_"

Another flash of lightning, and both Konoha shinobi saw that this time the bloodied intruder was smiling softly. Her chakra signature was getting weaker and weaker by the second, but she still took another travailing step forward.

"Chouji… Ino… it's good to be home..." she whispered. And she fell forward into the flooding forest floor, unconscious.

Ino and Chouji stared.

_It cant be…_

Naruto, after seven long years, was finally back. As a woman.

* * *

Feed the author! Review for my motivation and for quicker updates :)


	2. Chapter 1: Their Story

And so I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED! YESSSSSSSSSS

Enjoy my hours of hard work :]

* * *

**Chapter 1: Their Story**

* * *

"_You promise?"_

_Kiba laughed, and ruffled her hair fondly. "Naruto, I promise. Have faith in me." Akamaru barked excitedly, and Kiba shot him a quick grin. "And Akamaru too." She didn't trust his light-hearted words. Suppose they got ambushed? Suppose they…_

"_Kiba," she whispered, eyes filling up with desperate tears. "Promise me that you'll meet me again back in Konoha. Promise me!" Her voice had taken a sharp turn at the end, and her last word was a shrill shriek. The blizzard wind howled and it seemed to carry her words far into the forest. The snow fell steadily, turning the world into a white blankness. The ground was colored red beneath the two ninjas' feet as their wounds dripped blood._

_Kiba saw the terror that were etched in her cerulean eyes, and he gave her a gentle hug, trying his best to calm her. "I promise. And I promise for the rest of the gang. We'll be fine, I swear. Just leave and get to Konoha safely. You need to give Tsunade-sama the report. Go, Naruto."_

_She shook her head in despair. "Why me? I… I can fight! I have Kyuubi's power. I'm just as strong as anyone of you!"_

_The man laughed in amusement. "I guess it's a men thing. You probably forgot what it was like to be a boy. How long has it been since the seal? Ten years?" Kiba's face then turned solemn but his eyes still remained warm. "Naruto, you have to leave. There's no time left. I have to join Neji and Lee at the battlefield. They need me and Akamaru."_

_Naruto gave a silent sob. "I… I don't want to! Switch with me, Kiba. I'll go—" _

_She couldn't finish her sentence. Kiba had taken her face with two blood-spattered hands and roughly crushed his torn lips against hers in a desperate kiss. She fiercely kissed him back for all she was worth._

"_Naruto…" he murmured thickly when they broke apart. Naruto's eyes were still misted over with love and lust, and Kiba cracked a smile. He fondly licked the tears that trickled down her whiskered cheeks. "Honey, there's no one else in this world I love more than you. Naruto, do you love me?" _

_Naruto looked up at him and deeply kissed him again in response to his question. Kiba quietly chuckled, and his hands teasingly made traces up and down the blond girl's sides as he licked her lips. Her breathing soon became pants of want._

"_Kiba…" she whispered. She pressed her aching body against the man._

_He felt himself go hard. "Whoa, little tiger," he said softly, trying to keep himself in check. "Not now, honey. Remember, you have a duty left to do." His hands grabbed her thighs and he tenderly pulled her off of him. They stared at each other, and Kiba couldn't do it anymore. "Fuck, Naruto. I want you so bad, I…" He bent his head and bit the side of her neck. Naruto yelped in pain, but it quickly became a purr as he nursed the would he inflicted with his warm tongue. _

"_I'd ask you at a better time," he said lovingly between each lick, "but Naruto…"_

_Naruto gasped in shock as she suddenly felt Kiba grind his hard hard hips into hers. Their moans filled the air, and Naruto couldn't breathe. She wanted Kiba, here, now…_

"_Naruto," he panted heavily. "Will you marry me?"_

_She stared hard into Kiba's eyes and saw nothing but love. _

_"Yes," she whispered. "Yes."_

_The sweetest, most tender smile broke upon Kiba's face, and he gently cupped Naruto's face, kissing her softly once more. "Something to remember me by. Now, leave. I swear, I'll come back. By that kiss, by that proposal, I swear." And he lightly pushed the stunned Naruto in the direction of Konoha. "I love you so much."_

_He and Akamaru then ran off into the forest._

"_Kiba…" she whispered. _

_The wind screamed._

"_Don't… die..."_

She woke gasping for breath. The same dream that haunted her everyday, how she hated it! And Kiba… She had never wanted him to endanger himself in the first place, never wanted him on that mission, but to no avail. She didn't know if she would ever see him again, didn't know if he were still…

_Kiba._

Wincing from her excruciating headache, Naruto put her palm against her forehead. Damn. A fever.

The blonde then directed her attention to her surroundings. She was in a small, sunny room with nothing on its drabby blue-gray walls except for a tiny clock. There was a sour smell that hung in the air, and it didn't take the woman long to figure out she was in the village hospital. Turning her head towards the other direction, Naruto saw a vase of fresh flowers placed on the oak table by her bedside, and as her eyes focused, she detected a note underneath the glass. Slowly getting into a sitting position – taking care not to pull her sore muscles and jolt her pounding head - the blond woman reached over and gently slipped the paper out.

_Meeting at 10:00._

Cerulean eyes swiftly flickered to the clock ticking quietly on the wall. It was 9:57. She smiled grimly and let her head fall back against the headrest. "Seems like I woke just in time."

As soon as the words left her mouth, three loud raps were heard from the door, and Naruto tiredly turned her eyes towards the source of the sound. Her hand lightly put the note back on the table before she let it fall wearily on her bedcovers.

"Come on in, Morino-san," she said softly.

A tall, formidable shinobi opened the door and strode in, smoothly closing the hospital door behind him. He wore a black bandanna over his head and his face was full of long and thin scars. "Morning, Uzumaki. It's been a long time." He gave her a dry grin. "How did you know it was me?"

She smiled a weak dry grin back at him. "Who else would they send to interrogate a ninja who's been supposedly dead for more than half a decade? I haven't forgotten Konoha customs, if that's what you mean, Morino-san."

Morino grabbed a chair and placed it in front of Naruto's bed. He sat down resignedly. "As sharp as ever, Uzumaki." His eyes scanned her arms, the only part of her that was outside the bed sheets. "I see your arms have healed. What about your other wounds?"

"They're faring fairly well," she replied back in a quiet tone. Her cerulean eyes shut listlessly. "I'm just a bit sore, that's all. I'll be fine in another couple of days."

"That's good to hear."

There was a moment of silence. Naruto sighed wearily and she half-opened her eyes, looking at the uncomfortable shinobi with dull blue eyes. "How's baa-chan?"

He smiled. "Tsunade-sama," he corrected. The ninja's smile turned into a grin as he thought about the Fifth Hokage. "Lively. One certainly doubts that she's older than any one of us." Morino's eyes suddenly became grim. "She wants to see you, Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes never changed expression. "Why hasn't she?"

Morino stared hard at the blond woman's placid face. "You said you haven't forgotten Konoha tradition, Uzumaki. Then don't you – "

Naruto chuckled feebly. "I was just teasing, Morino-san. Of course I remember. I also know that baa-chan and Ero Sennin are listening to this conversation in another room through the bug on your jacket." Seeing Morino's stunned eyes, Naruto sighed. "I haven't gotten stupid, either, y'know. Very well, if it's answers you want, I'll give you them. Fire away, Morino-san."

He stared back at her. "Uzumaki – "

"I've prepared myself for months to get this message back to Konoha," she cut in. "I'm not going to break from emotional stress. Believe me, I'm _not _the girl that I look."

Morino grinned sardonically at her. "I'm glad to hear that, Uzumaki. All right, shall we?" His eyes became flints of steel. "Where are the rest of the members in your team? Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Neji, and Rock Lee?"

Naruto's hands quickly became fists against the bedcovers, but her eyes never left Morino's and her voice never wavered when she replied softly, "I don't know."

"What was the last time you saw them?"

"Six months ago."

"What happened then?"

Naruto smiled coldly. "Cutting to the chase already?" She chuckled bitterly. "I can't summarize seven years of my life on such a short notice, Morino-san."

Morino stared blankly at Naruto. "Well, what do you suggest?"

"You're the prosecutor."

He pondered briefly at Naruto's pungent words. "Why don't you start from the very beginning? Of why and how you guys left."

Naruto's orbs of silver-blue misted over as her mind traveled back a decade into the past; the memories all came rushing back, and she opened her mouth to tell her story… _their _story.

"I had just gotten home from Ichiraku Ramen when I was summoned to baa-chan's office…"

**XXX**

Nineteen-year-old Naruto bounded into the room, grinning wildly. "Hey, Granny, whatcha want me for?" He quickly dodged all the sake cups that Tsunade flung at him before settling down on his favorite spot in the big sofa chair near the far wall (far from Tsunade and her frightening weapons).

"Brat," Tsunade snapped as she massaged her temples. "I'll pound you next time I hear you calling me that." Naruto snorted, but the Hokage took no notice. "Uzumaki Naruto, the seal the Yondaime placed on you cracked four years ago, am I correct?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Of course you're right, obaa-chan." He quickly raised his arms up to his face, protecting himself from any attack Tsunade might hurl at him. It never came, and the teenager visibly relaxed. "You were there when I suddenly became a girl in front of you, weren't you?"

A new voice spoke from the window. "Unfortunately, I was not present to see such a show."

In a flash Naruto whipped out two shuriken and hurled it at Jiraiya. "Pervert," he said lazily, without even turning his head to look at him. "I bet you were down at the spa spying on naked ladies as usual. Too bad, Ero Sennin."

The toad hermit sighed and threw the two shuriken back at Naruto, who caught it easily.

"When shall I ever get the respect I deserve?" the great Toad Sage lamented in mock despair.

Naruto was opening his mouth for a retort when Tsunade snarled, "_Quiet_, the both of you."

The two ninja stared at their Hokage with unease.

"Baa-chan…" Naruto said. "Is everything all right?"

Tsunade snapped, "Would you be here if it were?"

The blond was instantly on full alert. "Tsunade-sama, what's the matter?"

Jiraiya's eyes became ice. "Is it what I think it is, Tsunade?" The Fifth Hokage didn't reply to them; she kept massaging her temples and staring at the table in front of her. The only sounds were the quiet breathing of the three ninjas as Naruto and Jiraiya both waited edgily for the Godaime to make her decision.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" she began to say.

"Yes."

Their eyes met and the Hokage paused briefly. She then said tersely, "I'm afraid we will have to let some new people in on your gender secret."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "What? Tsunade-sama?"

She sighed in resignation. "I am assigning you a mission, Naruto. It will be a long one." Tsunade tapped her fingers against the wood table. "How much do you know about the Earth Country?"

Naruto wavered. "Not… a lot."

Jiraiya cut in, his eyes full of worry. "So it's true, Tsunade," he said urgently. "They really are planning an all-war attack against Konoha?"

Naruto jumped up from his chair, knocking it over in his shock. His blue gaze was directed intensely at Tsunade. "Godaime, is what Ero Sennin said true? Is it?" Unconsciously, the blond began calling on the Kyuubi's power and his body shook hysterically.

"Godammit, Jiraiya!" Tsunade yelled at the white-haired sage. "Did you have to jump to conclusions so fast? And Naruto, brat, calm yourself down this instant! I haven't even gotten to the point of this meeting yet and you guys already got your panties in a twist!" The Godaime exhaled in disgust. "What kind of ninjas does Konoha have these days?"

Naruto's eyes never left the Hokage's face as Kyuubi's chakra receded. "Then get to the point already!" His knuckles cracked loudly as his hands became fists.

Tsunade looked straight at Naruto. "All right then." She took a deep breath. "Earth Country's behavior seems suspicious. Naruto, I want you to go to there and collect some information. I know it's a lot to ask, but you're our best spy, seeing how well you can henge. Of course, I will be asking a few other ninja to accompany you, and they will need to know of your special condition before we send you off. Do you agree with this mission and what it asks of you?"

The worry lines on Naruto's forehead disappeared as he gave the Hokage a big grin. "So that's what it was. Sheesh, making a mountain out of a mole hill, weren't you, baa-chan? Of course I agree."

The anxiety in Tsunade's eyes didn't fade. "Naruto, you do realize this may be a year or so mission? You won't - "

"Tsunade-sama, I'm a big kid now," the blonde soothed. "I can take care of myself. Don't worry about it." He turned to look at Jiraiya, who was quietly pondering to himself. "Ero Sennin?"

He sighed. "I can't say I'm entirely for this plan, but I think it's the best one we've got. Very well. We'll try it out, then." He gazed fondly at the blond. "You'd better not do anything stupid."

Naruto beamed at him. "Bullshit."

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Now, I've already gathered the rest of your team members. They shall be Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and Inuzuka Kiba." Tsunade glanced at the sheet of paper she had in front of her. "Would that be all right with you?"

Naruto shrugged. "Anyone's fine with me, baa-chan." He smartly dodged a chair Tsunade flung towards him, grinning cheekily. His big smile quickly faded as he – with guarded blue eyes – carefully asked, "When am I meeting with them?"

Tsunade shared a knowing look with Jiraiya. "You guys have to leave for the mission as soon as possible." Naruto thought it over slowly before nodding apprehensively. Slightly hesitant as well, the Fifth Hokage clapped her hands together twice. Puffs of smoke appeared throughout the room and four small distinctive _pop_ sounds were heard. When the smoke cleared, Kiba, Neji, Lee, and Shikamaru stood in the center of the room, looking wary and alert.

"You said it was urgent?" Neji stated softly, his voice as emotionless and cold as ever.

Tsunade sighed. "Yes, you ANBU kids are the next available on the list. Everyone else already has a mission or personal issues that they need to attend to."

Kiba snorted. "Personal issues my ass. Just cuz Ino and Sakura suddenly started trying to kill each other again."

"Ah, the beauty of youthful love!" Lee cried out, flashing his best pose yet. "Isn't it just simply energi – "

"Hey, hey, hey," Shikamaru drawled out. "That's none of your business, you two. Stop being so troublesome and listen to what the Fifth Hokage has to say. She said it was classified information, and that means no messing around." He gave a curt apologetic nod to Tsunade, who in return shot him a grateful look.

"Yes, what you are about to learn in the next hour must remain top secret. The information I am going to tell you will soon value to more than your lives; to disclose such info would be to lose your life. Do I make myself clear?" Tsunade glared at the four shinobi, who all grimly nodded back.

Jiraiya stepped in. "Well, guess there's no point in keeping it quiet anymore." He wearily brought his hand up to his hair and ruffled it. "Naruto?"

Naruto, who had been quiet the whole time, fidgeted awkwardly. Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru and Lee all raised their eyebrows and wondered what had gone amiss. Naruto was never awkward. Ever.

"Naruto?" Tsunade said gently. "No pressure. Whenever you're ready, dear."

Naruto scowled as the other shinobi adopted puzzled looks on their faces, for when did anyone ever call Konoha's number one hyperactive ninja "dear?" It was the four shinobi's turn to shift uneasily now – something had to be terribly wrong. Naruto was not being his usual self.

Kiba decided to try to alleviate the blonde's discomfort. "Hey, dude, what's the matter? You can always tell us, you know? We're brothers."

Instead of having the consoling effect Kiba intended, Naruto flinched at the word "brothers" and muttered a low "Shaddup Kiba. Like you know shit." Grimacing yet again when Naruto saw the hurt look flash across Kiba's face, he groaned and apologized, "I'm so sorry Kiba. I'm sorry, guys, its just that…"

The four ANBU stood in tense silence as they waited for the blonde to finish his words.

"Right," Naruto muttered angrily. "It's now or never. Kai!" Naruto placed his hands together and disappeared behind a veil of red fog. An explosion of Kyuubi's chakra filled the room, and soon enough everyone was coughing and feeling wary as they felt Kyuubi's sinister presence.

"What the…" Neji then uttered, his face in obvious shock. Neji's Byakugan had activated instinctively when Kyuubi's chakra had entered into the room, and now his white eyes were directed at the figure in the midst of the rapidly clearing red smog. "There's no way…"

"What? What is it?" Kiba asked feverishly. "Neji, you fucker, tell us what you see already!"

The Hyuuga could only shake his head in wonder, unable to utter a coherent response. "Not… possible…"

Kiba was about to punch Neji in the face when the smoke subsequently cleared, and Kiba, too, fell into a daze as he stared at the figure in the center of the evaporating fog.

A lithe blonde stood in the space where Naruto had previously occupied. She had his softly bright ocean-colored eyes and thin whisker markings. Her skin was even the same shade of tan. She was however a little shorter than Naruto and definitely skinnier, so her clothing – or was it Naruto's? – fell loose and baggy around her body. But the way she held herself up, the radiance and vigor that emanated from her… It was definitely similar to Naruto's, coupled with a little bit more grace and finesse.

It was impossible… and yet…

"_Naruto_."

Shikamaru's tone was flat as he voiced the one word that the four shinobi all were thinking, but his stunned countenance gave his shock away.

The girl shifted uneasily, yet she still smiled broadly. "Hey Shika-chan." Her voice, was pure and clear; it reminded Kiba of chimes in the wind. It had a soothing, melodic appeal. Her smile too was so winsome and charming. "Kinda a surprise huh? It threw me into hysterics the first time."

Lee broke the paralyzed stances of the four shinobi as he suddenly darted forward and took the girl's hands in his. "Oh the power of youthful love!" he gushed out, his eyes sparkling like night stars. "Could you be Naruto's sister? I think I am infatuated with you, dear love! Will you go on a date with me?"

There ensued an awkward, dazed silence, broken by the girl's hesitant laugh.

"Lee, you dumbass!" she said. "It's me, Naruto!" Her smile turned to a mischievous grin as she suddenly snatched her hands out of Lee's hold and kicked upward towards his family jewels. It was Lee's years of intense training that gave him the ability to quickly dodge the blow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Naruto," Tsunade chided gently when she saw Lee collapse onto the ground in traumatic stress. "Let's not injure them before your mission, Naruto."

Jiraiya, who had been watching silently the whole time, chuckled bitterly. "That's right, guys, you'd better watch out. This girl's a feisty one. She's quick to take offense, even when you're genuinely complimenting her womanly features." The toad sage absentmindedly rubbed his arm, where the occupants of the room could guess a bruise that must've been inflicted by Naruto resided.

Kiba turned his attention back to Naruto, noting that what Jiraiya pointed out about Naruto now feminine beauty was indeed the truth. The eighteen year old male Naruto, although he was of muscular build and stature, lacked a certain manliness in his psyche. Naruto – as a guy – had always seemed small and was eclipsed when thrown into comparison with the other ANBU guys, but now that Naruto was a girl… Kiba blinked. _She could easily be the hottest girl in Konoha_, he realized with a jolt, and blushed accordingly. _Dammit this is Naruto here!_ And yet his male self could not help himself. Kiba looked at Naruto. Her azure eyes, blond hair, womanly figure… It was enough to make any male get down on his knees and beg to be taken home. _No wonder she punched Jiraiya. If I didn't have slightly better control, I'd be left with a bruise too._

Neji gathered his wits together the fastest. "How… is this possible?" He looked at Naruto to Tsunade to Jiraiya. "Does it have something to do with the Demon Seal?"

Tsunade blew out a tired breath. "Oh boy. It has everything to do with the seal."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked. He looked at the exhausted faces of Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the ninja then sighed. "I have a feeling this is going to be a troublesome mission."

Naruto scowled, a fierce dark look clouding her features, yet somehow it only enhanced her beauty. "Shut up, Shikamaru! I can fight just as well as before! Don't call me a burden!"

Shikamaru involuntarily took a step back (who could blame him after seeing what she almost did to Lee). "No - that's not what I meant." The ninja realized he was blushing and saw the amused looks of Tsunade and Jiraiya. "Never mind, Naruto," he hastily said. "Can you explain?"

Naruto furrowed her eyebrows, not noticing Shikamaru's apparent discomfort. "I don't know for sure what happened. The theory that we're trying now is the possibility that Dad assumed there would be a lot of controversy and outrage from the villagers after I got by Kyuubi. Since Dad knew that he and Mom wouldn't be around to protect me, he probably thought that it would be better for me to grow up as a boy in the orphanage, rather than a girl."

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "Dad?"

Naruto pointedly stared at the floor, unwilling to meet her peers' curious gazes.

Jiraiya coughed softly. "Naruto's father was the Fourth Hokage."

Kiba felt like he had been punched in the gut. Sure, now that he thought about it, there was such an uncanny resemblance Naruto shared with the Yondaime, starting obviously with the blue eyes and blond hair. But...

"Who would sacrifice their own child to be a jinchuuriki?" Neji asked dubiously.

An angry snarl escaped Naruto's throat. Her eyes almost bled red as she spat, "Fuck you, Neji! You don't know my parents enough to judge them!"

Neji took a step back from Naruto's sudden fury. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean it that way."

Kiba feverishly thanked the gods that it was Neji and not him who had asked such a careless question, although he had been thinking the exact same thing.

Tsunade decided now would be a good time to interfere before Naruto ripped off the Hyuuga's head. "Brat, stop it. Neji meant no disrespect."

Naruto growled, but she complied to the Hokage's order. "I'm sorry, Neji," she admitted. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Kids," Jiraiya said, "I assure you, Minato and Kushina loved Naruto more than anything in the whole world. But we need to focus on the mission at hand." The ANBU shinobi nodded their heads grimly in agreement, and Jiraiya continued. "Since there was already talk of unrest in Konoha when Kushina was pregnant with Naruto, Minato forbid anyone to know Naruto's true gender. I'm thinking the only one in on the secret was the Sandaime."

"When did the seal break?" Kiba questioned, avoiding Naruto's gaze. He just wasn't ready to accept the fact that his close friend had been a girl this whole time, not to mention her fury was now a thousand times scarier. Plus it didn't help that she was so goddamn... pretty.

Naruto frowned, seeming like she noticed Kiba's avoidance. "On my fourteenth birthday." She realized that her hunch was correct when he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Kiba, what's wrong?" She saw color blaze the dog ninja's cheeks and mistook his embarrassment for anger. "Kiba, I didn't mean to lie to you all these years! I just didn't want to tell everyone until I was ready…" Her voice trailed off. "Kiba, don't be mad at me. We can't be brothers, but you're still my best friend!"

Kiba's face flamed with red and he felt himself burn with mortification. "N-no… it's nothing like that. Naruto, I'm not mad at you. Really I'm not! Don't worry about it." Kiba saw Jiraiya's raised eyebrows and amused look, and he glared at Jiraiya. "What's so funny, Jiraiya-san?"

The toad sage laughed. "Don't worry about it, Kiba. We'll all go through this phase sooner or later."

Lee, who had then recovered, struck a pose. "Ah, youth! Springs of love are in the yonder!"

Neji could only shake his head as a baffled Naruto looked around at the laughing faces of Tsunade and Jiraiya to the amused countenances of the three ANBU ninja.

"What… What's going on?" she asked. "Kiba, _tell me_!"

"It's n-nothing!" Kiba coughed out. "Ignore them."

Shikamaru then cleared his throat. "Ok, c'mon guys, let's get to the jokes later." He waited for the laughter to die down before turning to Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, can you inform us of this mission?"

Tsunade massaged her temples, her smile disappearing as the teasing atmosphere of the room turned tense. "I have a hunch that the Earth country is planning something big. We don't have evidence enough to say that they're planning to go to war with us… but…" Her voice trailed off, and she shared an apprehensive look with Jiraiya.

Jiraiya stepped forward. "What Tsunade's trying to say is that we have reasons to believe that suspicious activities are being held in Earth country. It's not enough to accuse them of breaking our peace treaty, but Tsunade and I are worried."

Neji nodded. "And you want us to infiltrate to see what's really going on?"

"Exactly." Tsunade took out a stack of papers. "I have your paperwork right here. You are to pose as five young Konoha villagers. Tell the Earth country sentries whatever story would seem appropriate."

"When will we be leaving?" Lee asked.

Tsunade closed her eyes. "Right now."

There was a stunned silence.

"Right now?" Kiba then yelled, flailing his arms passionately. "But that's hardly enough time to say goodbye to our families! We'll be gone for a year, Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade glared at Kiba. "Inuzuka Kiba! Do you not realize the _importance_ of this mission? All of the villagers' lives depend on you guys! For all of what we know, Earth country could be planning a mass ambush. We'll be completely annihilated!" The Godaime slammed her fist onto the desk, splitting the table in two. "Do you not think I understand what I'm asking of you guys?"

Kiba reeled back, stunned. He had never seen Tsunade lose her temper… not like this. Not when she was so obviously _sober_.

Naruto was suddenly by Tsunade's side, her hand placed comfortingly on the Hokage's shoulder. "Godaime-sama," the blonde said softly. "It's ok. Don't worry for us, baa-chan. We'll be fine, I promise."

Tsunade shook her head, looking at Naruto with fondness. "Promise me you won't do stupid things, you brat." The Hokage got a huge, shiteating grin in response.

"When have I ever, baa-chan!"

Jiraiya cut in, clearing his throat. "Now where's _my_ goodbye, you little ungrateful – " He was almost bowled over as a lightning yellow blur hit him straight on. Naruto hugged the toad sage with all her strength.

"I'll miss you, Ero Sennin!" she said, grinning widely.

He smiled affectionately at the girl and ruffled her hair. "Dumb kid." He looked at the other four ANBU ninja. "Well then, now that Naruto's got us all feeling so mushy inside, are you guys ready to leave?"

Neji, Shikamaru, and Lee nodded briskly. They all glanced at Kiba. Kiba, though still hesitant, blew out a breath and then nodded as well. "Well, that's the way of a shinobi, eh? What will you tell our families, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade said softly, "The most we can say is that you've left on a one year mission. I'm sorry, but that's the best we can do."

Kiba smiled bitterly. "It's ok. I'm sure Sis will understand." He clapped his hands together. "All right, guys, let's go." He looked around the room, as if remembering something. "Oh crap! I'll meet you guys at the gates of Konoha, aight? I need to get Akamaru. He's still napping." He saw the grim look on Tsunade's face, and he sighed. "Really, I'm not going to talk to anyone."

Naruto noticed Tsunade's unease, and she offered generously, "I'll go with him, baa-chan! That way you don't have to worry about Kiba being an idiot and letting vital information slip!"

Kiba scowled at Tsunade. "Godaime, really is this necessary?"

"No, no, no, I _insist_!" Naruto said, taking Kiba – who was quickly turning a shade of purple red – by his arms and dragging him out the door. "Meet you at the gates in ten minutes! Don't be late, you guys!" And so the blonde pulled a spluttering, indignant Kiba out of Tsunade's office.

There was a moment of silence.

"Ten bucks says they get together in a month," Neji commented.

Shikamaru laughed at Neji's statement, as well as the look of hurt on Lee's face.

"What? Why did she say no to me then?" the green ninja lamented. "Has the powers of youth left me already?"

Jiraiya was about to comment when he took note of the sudden murderous look that was darkening Tsunade's face.

"All right, you people," he hastily jumped it. "Let's get to the front gates of Konoha now." Jiraiya gave Tsunade a bright smile, grabbed a crying Lee by the ear and nodded hurriedly at Neji and Shikamaru. "When I say now, I mean _now_! Yip yip, brats!"

Shikamaru and Neji wasted no time taking heed to Jiraiya's urgent order.

**XXX**

"You're mad at me," Naruto stated crossly as they walked down the deserted streets of Konoha. It was a cloudy night at Konoha, and so Naruto hadn't bothered to henge. She scowled. "Kiba."

Kiba scowled back at the pressing girl. "No I'm not, Naruto! Really. You're completely imagining things."

Naruto studied his blushing figure. "Why are you being so awkward then?" She crossed her arms. "This is what I most dreaded, Kiba!"

Kiba came to a sudden stop, staring at Naruto. "Dreaded? What are you talking about?"

"That you wouldn't fucking take my transformation easily!" She saw Kiba flinch, and the blonde felt tears threatening to fall. _Damn these female hormones._ "I told Tsunade that I didn't want to tell anyone yet, because I wasn't sure how you'd take it." She studied Kiba's face. "And I was fucking right." Kiba flinched again, and Naruto couldn't help it. She was so incredibly hurt at the distance Kiba had put between them. Naruto promptly turned to run away, but Kiba quickly grabbed her arm. "Let go Kiba!" She struggled to get out of Kiba's iron grasp.

"You're pretty."

Naruto froze.

"You're pretty, Naruto," Kiba said quietly. "That's what's weird for me." The blonde in his hold stayed silent, and he continued. "It's weird when your best friend suddenly becomes the hottest girl in Konoha. And it's weird to hear such vulgar language come out from the mouth of such a beautiful woman. But I don't mind at all that you're a girl now. It doesn't change the fact that you're still my best friend, Naruto."

Naruto raised huge bright blue eyes to look at Kiba. "_What_?" It was Naruto's turn to splutter and turn red. "Kiba, what the fuck?"

Kiba cringed. "Can you not? It's not very ladylike."

Naruto couldn't believe it. Of all the things she worried Kiba wouldn't accept about her new self, it was her _cussing_ that bothered him.

"You're kidding," Naruto said, cerulean eyes wide. "Kiba, you've got to be shitting me."

The man sulked. "Naruto, stop that!"

"Wow..." In an instant, the blonde burst out in laughter. She clutched her sides as she fell into a fit of giggles. Relief flooded her being, and her burdened heart had never felt so free, so light. "Thank the gods, I was so worried."

Kiba let go off Naruto's arm and slightly bonked the girl on her head. "Are you done yet? It's not _that _funny." His liquid-brown eyes softened as he listened to Naruto's carefree laughter. "How about we make a deal, Naruto?"

"What?"

"If you don't cuss, then I won't treat you like a girl."

Naruto blinked before almost splitting her tan face in two with the beautiful, big grin she gave Kiba. Her azure eyes sparkled. "Really, Kiba? You mean it? You'll treat me just the same as before?"

"Of course." Kiba chuckled and ruffled the blonde's hair. "I'm assuming that's a yes, Naruto?"

"Fuc – I mean, of course that's a yes!" Naruto jumped forward and grabbed Kiba in a bear hug. "I love you so much! You can read me just like a book."

Kiba flushed and awkwardly patted Naruto's back. "Aight… This will certainly take a while to get used to. Guess handshakes and chest bumps just won't work for us anymore." They broke apart, and Kiba smiled. "At least I'm still taller than you."

"Shut up." Naruto skipped a few paces forward. "Let's go get Akamaru!"

Kiba closed his eyes tiredly. "Oh boy, will Akamaru be in for a surprise," he muttered.

"Did you say something, Dog Breath?"

"Who, me? Of course not, Naru-chan."

"Better not hav – _wait, _what? Kiba, what the _fuck_ did you just call me?"

"Hey!"

"You broke the promise first, shitface!"

"_Naruto_!"

**XXX**

Naruto widened her eyes, stopping in mid sentence. Suddenly a fountain of blood spewed from her mouth, and the blonde's injured, tattered body was hacked with coughs. Her chest was throbbing, and she felt like she was drowning in excruciating pain. Pain that was not physical but that of which paralyzed her mind and tore at her heart…

_Kiba._

Morino immediately stood up and snatched the phone from the table. "Hello?" he said, speaking rapidly in a low voice. "Yes this is Uzumaki Naruto's room. We need assistance now. She seems to be in critical condition again. I think she might have burst an artery. No – "

Suddenly the door of the hospital room was thrown off its hinges. It consequently hit the wall and shattered into bits. A frenetic Tsunade barged through the now open doorway, amber eyes harried and anxious. "Where is she? Let me through, Morino!"

Jiraiya had followed Tsunade. Although he was not in a hysterical state like Tsunade, there were definitely a haunted expression in his eyes that had not been there just a day ago.

"It would be wise to not disagree with us, Morino," the toad sage said quietly. "I am willing to fight you to the death if it means letting Tsunade attend to our granddaughter."

Morino started. _Granddaughter?_ Nonetheless, quickly assessing the amounting tension in the room, he nodded curtly. "Of course, Godaime-sama, Jiraiya-san." He respectfully stepped aside and watched as Tsunade flung herself to the bedside of the blond girl, already muttering medicinal incantations.

Jiraiya grimaced. Blood splattered everywhere on the floor as Naruto continued to cough. "What happened, Morino-san?"

"I don't know. She seemed fine until she started talking about Inuzuka Kiba." Morino saw the look that flashed through Jiraiya's face, and the interrogator put one and one together. "They were lovers."

"That's what I'm guessing." Jiraiya shrugged, his face wan and taut. "We all saw it coming, to be honest. Even when Naruto was pretending as a guy, she was heads over heels. And Kiba was smitten for her the moment he knew of her gender."

"I see. This can be a problem."

"Oh really?" Jiraiya quietly bit out at the prosecutor. "I'm sorry, Morino-san, but this is our baby girl here. I can't do this anymore. I forbid you to interrogate Naruto like this. I'm pretty sure you can see she is of no threat to Konoha."

Morino set his lips into a thin line. He didn't like it when people told him what to do, especially when it came to his interrogations, but he knew better than to argue. "Of course, Jiraiya-san." He nodded to Tsunade and Jiraiya. "Now if you'll excuse me, my work here is done." Getting no reply from either shinobi, Morino walked out the door and soon was gone.

"How is she?"

Tsunade turned to look at the tired Jiraiya. "She'll be okay. Thinking back on those memories must've been too stressful. It caused her blood to pump too fast. I gave her some calming medications and healed her injuries. She should be waking any time now."

As if on cue, Naruto stirred. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya stilled, staring at the blonde who was quickly gaining consciousness.

"Wh-what happened…" Naruto murmured. Her eyes opened, revealing two misted orbs of blue. "Where am I…" Suddenly her vision cleared, and the blonde quickly sat up. "Baa-chan! Ero Sennin!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya smiled in relief. Naruto was no longer in critical condition.

Tsunade's eyes filling up with tears. "Oh Naruto…"

"Baa-chan!" The blond woman grinned. "Well what do you know, Granny! You still look the same!"

Tsunade, unable to stop herself, threw herself forward and fiercely hugged Naruto. "You dumb, dumb child…" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion and pain. "I _told_ you to take care of yourself… to not do stupid things…"

Naruto smiled fervently through her own tears. "I did take care of myself, baa-chan, I did. Oh Tsunade-baachan, I have so much to tell you…" She pulled away. "Hokage-sama, please, you have to listen to me."

Jiraiya wiped at his wet eyes, his face turning serious. "What went wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto shook her head in despair. "I know that you thought we had died, but that wasn't the case. We were stuck in Earth country for seven long years not because we couldn't come back but because the Tsuchikage realized the amount of skill we possessed and made us part of his assassination team." She saw the shocked looks of Tsunade and Jiraiya. "One of his scouts caught us sparring once… Oh we were so stupid!" The blonde groaned. "It's all my fault. If only I didn't insist we spar that day… If only I didn't pick the most obvious clearing…"

"Naruto…" Tsunade tenderly cupped Naruto's cheek. "Why didn't you ever contact us? We would've sent the strongest shinobi in Konoha to help you."

"That's exactly what we _didn't_ want. First of all, we were under surveillance every minute. The Tsuchikage didn't trust his own son and daughter, not to even mention his shinobi. Amazingly though, in the seven years, he never figured out that we were from Konoha." Naruto met Jiraiya and Tsunade's eyes. "But most of all, you were right, baa-chan, Ero Sennin. They _did_ want to go to war with Konoha. Someone was feeding him false lies. Horrible rumors were being spread about Konoha. We spent the whole seven years gaining the Tsuchikage's trust, and we were so close to finding the source of the Tsuchikage's misinformation. We almost succeeded, but…"

"But?" Jiraiya pressed gently.

A new batch of tears filled Naruto's cerulean eyes. "Someone murdered the Tsuchikage's son and attempted an assassination on the Tsuchikage himself. The Tsuchikage naturally assumed it was Konoha. He went into a frenzy. We couldn't convince him otherwise." Naruto's voice broke as she thought back to that nightmarish day… the day when everything came crashing down.

Jiraiya was stunned by the information. "Who killed him?"

"Akatsuki." Tsunade had spat out the word.

Naruto nodded bleakly, her blue eyes dulled with pain. "Yes, it was definitely Akatsuki." She closed her eyes. "They want to see Konoha burned to the ground. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the ones behind the Tsuchikage's hatred of Konoha."

"Then, Kiba, Neji, Lee?" Jiraiya asked.

"They went to fight the troops that the Tsuchikage sent to ambush Konoha. I was the messenger." Naruto hissed. "All because I was the girl! What kind of fucked up thinking is that? I can fight just as well as any of them! Why… why…" Naruto started sobbing as her mind wandered to her four comrades. There was hardly any sliver of chance that they could still be alive, and yet the thought that they might be dead was too much for Naruto to bear. They _had_ to be alive. Kiba… No… not Kiba.

He had promised her.

He had _proposed_ to her_._

Naruto's sobs got harder and harder as she finally let go of all the emotions she had held back. The pain, more agonizing than ever, crippled her and took away her breath. She felt like she was burning, tearing, breaking, dying.

_Boom._

A hole was now in the wall as Tsunade pulled her fist out of the fissure. "Dammit all to hell!" She looked at the weeping Naruto, and sorrow was etched in the Hokage's beautiful face. "I never meant for this to happen! The mission was supposed to be _simple_; it was supposed to help you get used to your gender, not… not…" Tsunade buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god…"

Jiraiya shook his head in distress. "We're already at war with two small neighboring countries. If Earth Country were to join in, I don't think even an alliance with Suna will help…"

"Suna?" Tsunade's voice was flat. "They've been having trouble in their own country. They won't help us." The Hokage turned to Naruto. The blond girl had pulled herself together and was no longer crying. "How long do you think we have, Naruto?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Fuck!" Tsunade exclaimed. She pulled back to punch another hole, but Jiraiya caught her fist and held her firmly.

"C'mon, Tsunade, you know that's not going to help anyone," the Toad Sage said quietly. Jiraiya, after making sure Tsunade was in control, then sat down next to Naruto. "Everything will be ok, Naruto. They're strong shinobi; they can take care of themselves."

Naruto's eyes filled with tears yet again. She knew it was uncommon for Jiraiya to comfort anyone. "Oh Ero Sennin." She hugged the old sage. "I wish… I wish so much that I can believe that. You have no idea how often I dream of their return… how often I dream of hearing their voices again."

Tsunade hugged Naruto. "You and Kiba…"

Naruto was startled. "How did you know?"

"It's obvious, you little foolish kid," Jiraiya fondly chuckled. "We're your grandparents. It was apparent to us before even you knew yourself."

Naruto closed her eyes. There was a brief moment of silence. "He asked me to marry him before he left," she then whispered. The words sounded strange and surreal even to her. "I said yes."

Tsunade's hug tightened as the Godaime started crying harder. "Oh Naruto…"

Jiraiya smiled thinly. "Congrats, Naruto. He'll come back for the wedding." The toad sage patted Naruto's blond head. "Don't you fret it, baby girl."

Naruto nodded. "I'm counting on that, Ero Sennin… He promised me."

Tsunade pulled herself off of Naruto and wiped away at her tears. "You brat, you've grown up so much." The Hokage brushed away the hair that stuck to a side of Naruto's face. "Look at you. You've matured into such a beautiful woman."

Naruto smiled jadedly at the Hokage. "Thanks, baa-chan." The blond held Tsunade's hands warmly and tried to clear the air of the deadness and sorrow that hung about. "How's Konoha been like these last seven years?"

Tsunade looked up at Jiraiya, sharing a quick look with him, before turning back to the blonde. "Well, there is some news that might interest you," she said slowly.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, immediately wary. She didn't like the hesitant tone of Tsunade's voice.

Jiraiya cleared his throat. "About two years after you had left for your mission, Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha."

The words whirled around in her head.

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto murmured. The name sounded strange on her tongue, for she hadn't uttered it in quite a long time. "Uchiha Sasuke?" Realization struck her. "Wait, _what_? Why did he come back?" She blinked rapidly. After all those years that she had spent chasing after him, begging him to come back… After all those occasions that they had fought, hating each other's guts… After all those nights that she had cried over him…

Why now?

"Itachi's innocent," Tsunade said, closing her eyes. "He had been following orders from Konoha after all. The Council obviously wants to leave it at that, but I'm not convinced. There's something fishy going on, and I don't like it one bit."

Naruto was quiet. Everything that she had thought she knew about Sasuke, from the Uchiha massacre to the reason of his revenge, had been a lie. "So does that mean..."

"Yes," Jiraiya said, guessing what Naruto was going to say. "When Sasuke came back to Konoha, he dragged home a very battered and beat Itachi as well. All their sins and crimes have been exonerated. They've taken residence in the Uchiha Manor once more."

Her head was spinning. This information was being thrown at her too fast, and the room was beginning to get quite stuffy.

"There's more, isn't there?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"Yes," the Hokage answered softly. "Sasuke and Sakura…" Tsunade sighed, her eyes etched with grief as she thought about the brightest pupil that she had ever had. "He proposed to her out of simplicity, and yet she _still_ said yes. Their relationship is, to put it bluntly, dead. Sakura was nearly hospitalized last month for having a mental breakdown. She's going to have a divorce with Sasuke as soon as he comes back from his S-rank mission."

"Oh my god…" Naruto whispered. Sakura, the sweet innocent cherry blossom? Almost _hospitalized_? For having a mental breakdown? "But their marriage…"

"They have two kids," Jiraiya stated grimly. "Ryuushiro and Momo. Ryuushiro's four and a mute. No one's ever to have heard him say a single word. And Momo is the most frightened baby you'll ever find in this village." The toad sage sighed. "Itachi has a daughter too. We don't know her mother, but… well, Kaira's very distant and cold. Not unlike Sasuke and Itachi themselves."

"What _is_ this?" Naruto uttered, in complete bewilderment. "How could this possibly have happened?"

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead. "Currently, Sakura's living in Hinata's house and a temporary babysitter is taking care of the children. I believe Sakura could be charged for child abuse if it weren't for her mentally ill condition. She's completely shut herself out from the rest of the world. Only Hinata has been able to see her these days."

Tsunade shook her head. "It's all such a big mess. Nobody knows what to do."

There was a brief pause in the conversation, and Naruto took the time to think hastily. She knew Konoha was bound to change in these seven years, but to change this much, and in this horrid fashion… Naruto's mind was still spinning, her chest still throbbing, but the blonde knew what she had to request of the Hokage.

"Baa-chan? May I ask you something?"

"Yes, Naruto?" Tsunade said warily, frowning. She seemed to already know that what Naruto was about to ask wasn't going to be something that she'd want to hear.

"I want to move into the Uchiha Manor." There was a stunned silence, and Naruto tried to explain. "I don't have a place to stay. I need this. No one will bother me if I live there. Everyone's still scared shitless by Sasuke and Itachi, I'm sure. I need the privacy."

"Naruto..." the Godaime said, disbelief coloring her tone. "The children are not easy to get along with."

"I'm good with kids," Naruto said, "I can't be worse than the babysitter. I won't even charge the Uchihas if they just give me a place to sleep and a kitchen to cook my food. It'll be temporary, just until Sasuke comes from back from his S-rank mission. I promise to be on my feet by then! Tsunade-sama, please say yes." Naruto turned to Jiraiya, her blue eyes begging. "_Please_, Ero-Sennin."

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. He seemed to ponder over the suggestion before he closed his eyes and said resignedly, "Well, I don't see any harm in letting her try it out, Tsunade."

The Hokage turned to look at the hopeful blonde. Tsunade shook her head mournfully, not liking the idea, but the Godaime knew that Naruto would not stop until she was given her way. "Dumb brat. If it doesn't work out, promise me you'll tell us immediately!"

Naruto grinned widely. "Of course, baa-chan! Thanks a billion, Ero-Sennin, baa-chan!" The blonde hugged the Hokage and gave the toad sage a light punch. "When can I move in?"

"As soon as you're released from the hospital," Tsunade answered reluctantly. She then proceeded to ruffle Naruto's hair lovingly. "Now go rest. Your health comes first."

"I will, baa-chan!"

Tsunade bonked Naruto on the head before she and Jiraiya stood up. "We'll be leaving now, Naruto," the Hokage said. "We'll check up with you in a few hours, so get some sleep til then, okay? You need to rest."

Naruto nodded seriously. "Thanks for everything, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-san. I can't tell you how happy I am to be back."

And with another hug, another fond ruffle on her hair, the Hokage and Toad Sage then left the room. Naruto wearily closed her eyes. Ever since the start of Morino's interview, she had been aware of a mental tug at the corner of her mind, but she had easily ignored it.

But now the tug had become an urgent, pressing pull, and Naruto knew it was futile to fight against it any longer. Letting her mind go blank and allowing the red haze to fill her consciousness, Naruto then slipped into the world of the Fox Demon that was sealed in her stomach.

**XXX**

**"Snot, just how long did you plan on ignoring me?" **Kyuubi growled out in annoyance, snapping at the air just inches in front of Naruto's nose.

Naruto smiled brightly at the fox who had become one of her closest companions over the ten years time. "You know I can't just suddenly fall unconscious in front of Morino. That would've made him go ballistic."

Kyuubi snorted. **"You and your foolish human ways."** He turned one huge, red eye to stare at Naruto. **"You're still obsessed with that Uchiha," **the fox demon accused.

Naruto reddened. "No I'm not, Kyuubi! I worry for his kids."

**"Don't try to fool me,"** Kyuubi growled. **"I can read you like a book. You've been in love with Uchiha Sasuke ever since you were a Genin. And you always will be."**

Now it was Naruto's turn to have a fit of rage. "Kyuubi, watch what you're saying! Sasuke _was_ my best friend, but when I realized that best friends did more than to try to make holes in your chest, I let him go, Kyuubi. I'm not in love with Sasuke and I will never be. I am engaged to Kiba!" The blonde flashed angry blue eyes at the amused demon fox. "It's not funny, Kyuubi! I really am going to live in the Uchiha Manor for the kids."

Kyuubi laughed a deep, demonic laugh. **"Oh you insolent brat, when will you ever come to accept reality? Sure, you say you love that dog boy. But your love for Sasuke has been a much crazier, fiery passion, and that passion has yet to die down, brat. I can still feel your love burning away for him in your heart. If I didn't know any better, I'd even say that you were rebounding on that mutt – "**

"Don't you dare say another word, Kyuubi!" Naruto yelled, her blue eyes blazing with fury. "Is this why you called me? So you can belittle me?"

The fox demon glanced down at the seething Naruto with a look that could almost be called affection. **"You piece of shit."** Kyuubi bent his head to gently lick the blonde on her forehead. **"I wanted to see if you were okay. Hearing your suggestion to live with the Uchihas worried me. I don't want you to hurt yourself again, Naruto."**

Naruto's anger vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Kurama." It was rare for the fox to show fondness towards her, and Naruto smiled at the demon. "I'm fine. I'm not in love with Sasuke. He can't hurt me anymore, I promise."

The fox demon studied the bright countenance of the blonde before blowing out a breath of red chakra. **"If you say so. Go back now, before the hospital panics at your sudden coma."**

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Kyuubi."

**"Brat."**

And Naruto was gone.

Kyuubi stared at the space where Naruto had previously occupied. **"Not in love with him?" **he scoffed. **"Brat, the day that you fall out of love with Uchiha Sasuke is the day that I turn mortal."** Kyuubi snapped at the empty air in aggravation.** "Naruto, the twenty four years of being trapped as your demon has given me more grey hairs than all my hundred years of living."**

The fox proceeded to delicately lick his paws, and then he closed his eyes as he was drawn into Naruto's dreams. It was the usual. Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru flashed in and out of sight, and Kiba, obviously, was the main focus of her dream. But what Naruto would never see was the figure that always stood silently in the background of her fantasies. It was a figure that never ceased to appear in Naruto's dreams, even though the said girl would never remember him when she awoke.

But Kyuubi did.

The fox demon sighed as he stared at the raven-haired man standing mutely in the background.

**"Uchiha Sasuke."**

* * *

I will keep trying to stay motivated into finishing this story if you guys keep up with your reviews. Even saying "please update" or "I love the story" is enough to make me smile. Of course, criticism is appreciated as well!

I currently have no beta, but I will definitely tell you guys if I am searching for one.

:] In the next chapter, I think Naruto shall finally meet the Uchiha kids.

So review please guys! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2: The Change

Here is Chapter 2! :]

XXX

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Change**

* * *

Naruto stared at the sight that greeted her. Her cerulean eyes were open wide as she ogled. The main compound of the Uchiha Manor was of colossal size, with a fancy roof that towered over all the other buildings in sight. Hell, this building _dwarfed_ the other houses in comparison. It was a monstrosity.

All her life, Naruto knew Sasuke was rich… But _this_ rich?

No wonder he was such a stuck up, conceited, selfish piece of shit.

Naruto quickly shook her head. "No!" the blonde muttered. She was _not _going to think about him. She took out the keys that Tsunade had given her and hesitantly unlocked the front gates. Her shock at the size of the Uchiha mansion had still yet to be alleviated, and she was quite intimidated.

"And to think there are two more buildings behind this one…" Naruto muttered spitefully, feeling like there was no justice in this world. "All the people starving in our village, and here we have these two Uchiha men who have everything anyone could want and more. Talk about equality and justice."

The blonde then stepped into the courtyard. There was a pretty cherry tree in the center of the court, and seeing the beautiful sakura petals scattered all over the ground seemed to uplift Naruto's mood. She had spent the last three days recuperating at the hospital. The sickly smell of the infirmary had nearly suffocated Naruto in her short stay, and she couldn't wait to get out. And now that she _was _out, it was a welcomed relief. It felt good to be alive as Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, inhaling the nice scent late-blooming flowers gave off, seeing the colors of tree leaves slowly begin to turn orange as autumn started to set in.

But the fact that she had to live in the Uchiha Manor of all places…

Even though she had told Kyuubi that any iota of fondness or cordiality towards Uchiha Sasuke was gone, Naruto couldn't help but feel a pang as she realized that this was where Sasuke had spent his best childhood memories.

As well as his worst.

But what _else_ could she have done? Poor Sakura… and those kids! How could Naruto just stand by and let the Uchiha children grow up without their parents when she herself knew how painful it was to have an orphan's childhood?

Somebody suddenly spoke up, breaking Naruto out of her reverie.

"Are you the new babysitter?"

The nasally voice came from a black-haired woman who had appeared in the doorway of the Uchiha compound. Naruto stared. The babysitter was of a young age, somewhere around her late teens and early twenties. Her arms were tattooed profusely, and her skimpy clothes revealed a tad bit more skin than was deemed modest. She had at least five piercings on her ears and a shiny stud was noticeable on her tongue as she talked.

Naruto was appalled.

_This _person was the babysitter? She looked like a pothead!

Quickly gathering her thoughts together, Naruto cleared her throat. "Yes, I am. Uzumaki Naruto, pleased to meet you." The blonde flashed the young woman a bright grin and held her hand out towards the babysitter, offering a friendly handshake.

The babysitter shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the blonde's outstretched hand. "Tanubi." Tanubi looked at Naruto up and down. "Are you that Uchiha's mistress?"

Naruto reddened. "Excuse _me_?"

Tanubi stared. "None of us know who his bitch is." The babysitter crossed her tattooed arms. "If you are her, don't be ashamed to admit it. I don't judge."

"_No_, I assure you I am not," Naruto answered frostily. She was, needless to say, disgusted by Tanubi's temerity. "I think your employment is over, Tanubi-san."

Tanubi shrugged yet again, unaffected by Naruto's coldness. "All right then. Don't need to get your panties all in a twist. Tell Itachi that I just took the cash lying around on the table." The babysitter then scoffed, a sneering, contemptuous look on her face. "By the way, you'd better thank me. The baby's finally asleep. It took me forever to get that stupid brat to stop crying. Good luck, uh… I forgot your name." And with those parting words, Tanubi was gone.

There was a moment as Naruto struggled to get over her shock.

"What the _fuck_."

The blonde felt her blood boil, and it took all the restraint she possessed to not turn around and stick a kunai into Tanubi's heart. She whipped around to glare daggers at the Uchiha symbol that was painted on the walls of the Uchiha compound.

"What kind of fucking parents are you?" she yelled in disgust. "Letting such an abomination babysit your kids… Just what the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" Shaking with rage and seeing red, Naruto felt a surge of Kyuubi's sinister demonic chakra flow through her veins. The blonde knew she had to calm herself down before her anger blew things out of proportion. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, trying her best to not think about all the murderous things she wanted to do to Tanubi. Sure enough, Naruto slowly felt Kyuubi's chakra recede from her body, and when she could breathe normally again, the blonde opened her eyes. Thankfully, the world was no longer bathed in red.

Taking another long glance at the Uchiha symbol, Naruto bit her lip worriedly. _Sure_, she wasn't going to be worse than the babysitter…

But just what kind of kids was she going to be dealing with?

Naruto sighed. She bent down to pick up a sakura petal and saw how quickly its beauty was withering away.

Life was so short.

"Kiba… I miss you."

**XXX**

As soon as Naruto walked into the household, she knew her assumptions of Tanubi being a shitty babysitter was right. The place looked like it hasn't been dusted in ages, dishes were stacked miles high in the sink, and most of all, as Naruto saw with a pang in her heart, opened beer bottles were lying in every corner of the house.

"Oh fuck," Naruto muttered under her breath. She had vowed to not cuss when she entered into the house, for that would've been very bad influence to the kids, but the sight of empty beer bottles tore at Naruto's chest. "Oh my god…"

The blonde felt tears start to form in her eyes, and she wondered just how much shit the three Uchiha kids had had to go through. Where was Itachi in all of this? Naruto understood why the cold-blooded Sasuke and broken-hearted Sakura might've not stopped this disaster from happening, but Itachi… Wasn't he _innocent_? Wasn't he the faithful Konoha shinobi all along? So where was his humanity? Where was he in all of this?

Naruto shook her head slowly. There was no point in crying over things that had already happened. Work obviously needed to be done.

Forming a few hand signs and muttering a quick "kai," Naruto disappeared behind a puff of smoke. Suddenly there were five shadow doppelgangers present in the filthy room. Naruto nodded tiredly at the inquisitive blondes. "We'll split up and clean different rooms. C'mon, let's get to it. This mansion is gigantic. The faster we start, the faster we'll finish."

"Gotcha!" five voices answered.

**XXX**

Naruto wearily sat on the couch, eying her work with pride. It had taken her the whole morning and even part of the afternoon, but hell! She did a damn good job cleaning out the filth of the huge Uchiha Mansion. Not a single book out of place, not a single dish unwashed, not a single corner of the house undusted. The blond woman chuckled complacently to herself.

"Well. Not bad, Naruto. Guess being the Tsuchikage's maid did pay off in its own ways." The blonde then groaned as her thigh muscle cramped. Every part of her body throbbed. "I hope I don't have to do that again in a long, long while." She sighed. Her head was beginning to hurt again, and she couldn't stop herself as her mind began to wonder, drifting back a few years, back to…

Naruto closed her eyes. The dream she had last night was still fresh in her memory.

**XXX**

"_Kiba… Kiba, where are you?" Twenty one year old Naruto had just arrived at the secret meadow. The field was filled with blooming, colorful flowers and tall, green and grassy plants. It was spring time in Earth country, and the blonde had woken up earlier that day with a flower – which she recognized to come from this field – placed next to her bed. A note, written with a scrawl that could've only been Kiba's, had been wrapped delicately around the flower's stem._

_And so, Naruto had waited impatiently for the clock to strike four before she bowed respectfully to the Tsuchikage and asked to be excused. Four o'clock, common in Earth country culture, was a period of rest. All shops in the village closed exactly at this time, and subsequently the villagers all went back to their respective houses to take a quick afternoon nap or have some relaxing afternoon tea. Even the shinobi were given a two-hour repose. The Konoha ninjas, who had already been drafted into the Tsuchikage's secret shinobi squad by then, often took this time to meet and catch up with one another's affairs._

_But sometimes, when there was nothing serious to report, Kiba would – who knows how he managed to sneak into her compound, for it was strictly a female only residence – leave notes by Naruto's bedside, telling her at which secret place they would meet up._

_Today, the note had said "Fox," which Naruto took to mean as the code word for "field." Even if she couldn't figure that one out, the flower that the note was wrapped around had been a clear indication. _

_But upon arriving at the field today, Naruto had noticed with some exasperation that the stupid man must've been playing games with her for he was nowhere in sight, and much to Naruto's annoyance, she couldn't sense his chakra signature at all._

_Damn, his shinobi skills were getting better. _

"_Kiba…" the blonde snapped. "I'm going to leave in _ten _seconds if you don't show your sorry butt soon!"_

_No response._

"_All right then. One…"_

"_Two…"_

"_Three…"_

"_Four…"_

"_Fivesixseveneightnin – "_

_Naruto squealed as she suddenly felt someone from behind securely wrap his arms around her waist. The blonde could feel his breath on her neck, and she involuntarily shivered._

"_I believe that was less than ten seconds, Naruto," Kiba growled teasingly into the woman's ear. "I never knew you were a cheater."_

_The blonde struggled vainly to break Kiba's hold. "Let me go, you jerk! What kind of person are you, letting me stand here like a dork while you laugh at me? Let me go!"_

_Kiba was amused. "I wasn't laughing at you."_

"_Yes you were! I can sense it!"_

"_Since w__hen did you become a psychic, tiger?" the man asked, smiling at the riled Naruto._

"_Since when was it okay to hold a girl down against her consent?" Naruto snapped back. "Let me go!"_

_Kiba raised his eyebrows. "But it's not against your consent, so I don't understand your argument, Naru-chan."_

_Naruto's eyes widened, and the next thing she knew, her back was on the ground with Kiba pressed firmly on top of her. The man had a huge grin on his face, and Naruto couldn't help but to smile back at him, her anger quickly dissipating._

"_You jerk."_

"_You know you love me," was Kiba's flippant reply. He paused, and then looked at Naruto with soft, liquid brown eyes. "Can I, sweetheart?"_

"_And since when have you cared for _my _consent, you uncouth man?"_

_Kiba smiled wryly, and in one swift motion, he took Naruto's mouth in his._

_Naruto immediately felt a warmth erupt from the center of her being, and she shivered yet again, this time in want. Her arms wrapped around Kiba's neck to pull him closer, and he eagerly obeyed. _

_They kissed passionately and fiercely like there was no tomorrow. Their lips moved in sync with each other's, and only when the need to breathe became inevitable did they part. Kiba stared lovingly down at the flushed Naruto, who was gazing back at him with two big cerulean eyes._

"_I love you, Naruto."_

_Kiba took Naruto's lower lip and gently nibbled at it. The whispery sigh that came out of her made him go hard. He wanted more, needed more. Kiba licked Naruto's lips, begging entrance. Naruto quickly granted him his wish and soon they were having a battle of dominance with their tongues. Unable to stop himself, Kiba brought a hand up and cupped one of Naruto's breasts, and the blonde groaned. She instinctively shifted so the man could have better access, and Kiba chuckled._

"_Isn't it kind of hot here, love?" the man whispered, making teasing circles around her breasts with his palm. He saw how Naruto's cheeks were flushed with red, how her eyes were rolled towards the back of her head, how her hands clutched desperately at the grass on the ground. God she was so beautiful… Kiba dipped his head and licked Naruto's ear, smiling at her meow of pleasure. "Well?"_

"_Yes… yes…" she whispered. "Please, Kiba, please…"_

_Hearing her begging plea made Kiba's want become even harder still, and he wasted no time. Bending his head so he could kiss Naruto's throat while he worked with her clothes, Kiba quickly unzipped Naruto's jacket, revealing a thin shirt. Two hard nipple impressions were apparent against the t-shirt's gossamer front, and Kiba's eyes misted over with desire._

"_You didn't wear a bra today?"_

_Naruto, drowning as she was in lust, still heard the amused inflection in Kiba's voice, and the blonde replied back as sassily as she could in that state of mind, "Well so what if I didn't feel like wearing one this morning?"_

_Kiba grinned. "You liar. You hoped that we'd be doing this kind of stuff today, didn't you?" Not bothering to hear Naruto's response, Kiba promptly took the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up, revealing two luscious breasts that were hard with yearning. He groaned. "Oh Naruto… you're so beautiful…"_

_Naruto whimpered as she felt Kiba envelop one of her nipples with his lips. She tore at the grass and twisted in pleasure. The blonde now felt a searing hot flame burning away in between her legs, and she moaned. "Kiba… Kiba…"_

_Kiba sucked at her nipple, loving the way she said his name. He brought one hand up to the other neglected bud and toyed with it, a fierce joy rippling through his body as he felt Naruto squirm with pleasure. He then took her nipple out of his mouth and sat up, straddling the blonde. Naruto involuntarily let out a short cry as she felt Kiba's hard need press against her want, and she panted._

"_K-Kiba…" Naruto whispered. Her cerulean eyes, which had been closed the whole time, snapped open, and a maelstrom of emotions swirled in their ocean depths. "Please, Kiba…"_

_He laughed at her lust. "Someone's a little horny today." Kiba played with the waistband of Naruto's pants. "Is this what you want me… to… take… off…" The man emphasized the last four words by sweetly kissing Naruto's breasts between each word._

"_Yes… yes…"_

_Kiba didn't wait for another invitation. He slipped his hands inside of her pants, and he smugly smiled as he felt how wet her undergarments were. The man gently brushed two fingers against Naruto's womanhood before sticking the two digits inside, and the blonde cried sharply, writhing._

"_Kiba!" _

_He grinned, and in one movement, pulled off Naruto's pants. She shivered, both from the loss of heat and from the hungry look she saw in Kiba's eyes. _

_Kiba then smiled wryly, his liquid brown eyes gazing with adoration and lust at his blond lover. "Now, gorgeous, try to keep the volume down… I don't want all of Earth Country to be awakened from their afternoon nap when I'm making love to my little tiger here…"_

**XXX**

Suddenly the sounds of the front door being slid open were heard.

Naruto's eyes immediately snapped to attention – since when did she fall asleep? – and she blushed as she remembered the dream. Shaking her head to clear it of the fresh images, the blonde subsequently stood up. Naruto winced, her muscles still sore, but for the most part Kyuubi's chakras had healed her exhaustion.

Then, remembering why she had woken up, Naruto bit her lip in anticipation. The moment she was waiting for had arrived. The kids were finally home. Naruto was wary. She had seen Momo earlier, taking care to not wake the baby girl when she cleaned Momo's room. But Momo had been sleeping, and of course, she was only two years old. On the other hand, Naruto didn't know what to expect of the other two.

_Hell_, what happens if they turn out to be crazy serial killers like their dads?

Footsteps were heard and Naruto tensed. Sure enough, the door to the living room opened, and Naruto came face to face with Uchiha Kaira and Uchiha Ryūshiro. She took a quick second each to assess the two Uchihas.

Uchiha Kaira was a petite, skinny girl of about twelve. With a jolt, Naruto realized that Kaira was around the age of a Genin, and needless to say, a shinobi headband – its shiny luster indicated that it was rather new – wrapped around the girl's forehead. But upon further scrutiny, Naruto saw that Jiraiya's warning about Kaira being aloof and distant had indeed been the truth. Kaira's eyes were two hard black gems, cold and merciless. Her long black hair covered more than half of her face, giving the young girl a very menacing appearance. Even her lips, bitter and thin, was a resentful line across her pallid face. She had the image of a very sour and aggrieved child, not unlike how Sasuke had been when he was a Genin. Naruto's heart immediately went out to her, and the blonde was unable to help herself as she thought back to the old Team 7 days.

Naruto then directed her attention on the small boy timidly standing next to Kaira.

Uchiha Ryūshiro, Naruto noticed with amazement, was the exact opposite of his cousin. The boy had a face of an angel – complete with the pink chubby cheeks and big, innocent eyes – and he could've fooled anyone into thinking that he was a baby Cupid. Ryūshiro was supposed to be four years old, but if Naruto didn't know any better, she would've assumed that the tiny boy could've been no older than three. But as cute as he was, Ryūshiro's big, black eyes were haunted with only one emotion - fear. Raw terror reflected in the onyx orbs as the little boy stared at Naruto.

The blonde wanted to cry. But the years of living under the Tsuchikage's rule had given her the skill to mask her emotions, and for once she was thankful for the control. She allowed only a calculated amount of warmth and cordiality show on her face.

"Who are you," Kaira asked coldly. "Have you come to take us away?"

"No," Naruto said softly. "I'm your new babysitter."

"Another one?" It was clear from the tone of Kaira's voice that the young girl didn't have a particular fondness towards babysitters. "When will they realize that we can perfectly take care of _ourselves_?" She turned to leave, her hair whipping angrily behind her.

"Wait."

Kaira glared spitefully back at Naruto. "What do _you_ want?"

Naruto gracefully raised one eyebrow. "I think we should introduce ourselves first."

"Why." Kaira said the word as more of a statement – an order – than as a question.

"I'm going to be living here for at least a month or two, Kaira," the blonde replied back evenly. "At least tell me a bit about yourself. Your little brother too."

Kaira narrowed her eyes, and in her anger, she activated her Sharingan. Naruto was most definitely impressed by this demonstration of talent, but let none of it show in her impassive expression.

"He's _not_ my brother," Kaira hissed out. She didn't even turn to look at Ryūshiro, who had flinched at Kaira's comment. "Don't you _ever_ call him my brother."

Naruto wasn't deterred. "Cousin, then."

Kaira folded her arms, riled by Naruto's calm countenance. She had never met a babysitter who hadn't blown up as soon as they exchanged one or two words with her. This blonde woman was different. There was something about this babysitter that Kaira couldn't place her finger on.

"He's a _mute_. Didn't they tell you that?" Kaira replied contemptuously. "He was born that way. Small and useless. I've never even heard him cry." Her tone of voice mirrored disgust.

Naruto saw how sorrow and hurt flashed quickly through Ryūshiro's eyes before it disappeared, leaving his eyes terrified once more. _Poor thing. _"What about you?" the blonde then asked.

"What _about_ me?" Kaira retorted. She had deactivated her Sharingan, but her eyes were still stark cold and bleak.

"Tell me about you."

Kaira scowled. She was getting angrier by the second at Naruto's persistent questions. None of the other babysitters had shown such nosiness. "I'm a Genin. My father's Uchiha Itachi."

"Who's your teacher?"

"Ino-sensei." Kaira didn't miss the sudden look of recognition that passed through Naruto's face. "You know her," the Uchiha girl accused.

"Yes… I did." Naruto didn't mention to tell Kaira the last time she saw Ino was that stormy night when she had passed out in front of Ino and Chouji. Naruto hadn't seen Ino since, for no one was allowed to visit the blond in the hospital. _In fact_, Naruto wondered. _Who actually knows that I'm back in town now?_

Kaira frowned. She knew the suddenly pensive babysitter was keeping something from her, and the Uchiha girl became irritated when the older woman didn't expand on her answer.

"What's _your_ name?" Kaira asked in an insolent manner.

Naruto looked at Kaira and smiled a small, genuine smile for the first time since the two children's arrival. "Uzumaki Naruto. You may call me Naruto-san."

The Uchiha girl rolled her eyes. "_Whatever_." She turned her back to Naruto and began walking towards the door, determined to end the conversation. "You'll be gone in a week like the rest of them, anyway. I'm going to training." And Kaira disappeared from the room.

"I'm beginning to think that there must be a genetic disorder for rudeness and arrogance," Naruto muttered in exasperation. "Are _we_ going to come to love each other…" The blonde then directly her kind gaze towards the small boy who was now shaking visibly in front of her.

"Hello there, Ryūshiro," she said brightly, smiling her most winsome smile.

Ryūshiro, not alleviated by this show of warmth, took a small, scared step back.

Naruto's blue eyes softened, and she squatted so she was the same eye level as Ryūshiro. "You're the cutest thing I've ever seen! Has anyone ever told you that, Ryūshiro?" the blonde said cheerfully. Secretly pleased when she saw a look of surprise momentarily supplant the fear in Ryūshiro's eyes, Naruto continued, "I thought you were a little angel when I first saw you. I almost fell down to my knees when you walked in; I'm in desperate need for some of my prayers to be answered, love."

Ryūshiro blinked rapidly, but the terror in his eyes was slowly – but surely – dissipating.

Naruto suddenly brightened. "Hey little squirt, can I touch your hair?"

The boy started. _Touch his hair?_ He stared back at Naruto with huge, inquisitive eyes, wondering if he had heard her right. Naruto was delighted to see that almost all traces of the fear he had towards her in the beginning were gone, replaced by incredulity and curiosity.

"It looks soft and silky, Ryūshiro," the blonde went on to explain, grinning sheepishly. "I've always admired people with pretty hair. I have coarse hair, unfortunately, so people with hair like yours have always been the object of my envy." Naruto laughed. "It's silly but true!"

Ryūshiro was in a state of inner turmoil. In his entire life, Ryūshiro had never met a woman who was as gentle, as nice, as _kind_ as Naruto, and he immediately felt something in his heart stir. It was a long time since he had felt this warm, this safe… this _protected_. The little boy wondered if Naruto was a dream. He had those sometimes. Dreams where his daddy would be back home holding him and praising him, telling him that he wasn't unwanted. Dreams where Mommy wasn't crying and drinking that horrible liquid that made her go crazy.

So was Naruto only a dream too?

Good things, Ryūshiro had concluded and accepted long ago, weren't real, and the little boy realized with a pang that Naruto was a _good_ thing. Upon such a revelation, whatever warm fuzzy feelings Ryūshiro had started to feel was soon crushed again by hurt and sorrow.

Naruto saw the little boy's face fall, and the blonde thought it was because of her request to stroke his hair. "Oh, child, don't cry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to force you into anything! I promise not to touch you unless you allow me to, okay?"

Ryūshiro blinked, yet again startled by Naruto's exclamation. Someone… was actually giving _him _a choice? No one had ever allowed Ryūshiro to do anything out of his own volition. Instead, he always had to follow the rules, and sometimes when he was bad and he didn't comply, hurtful things would happen. Ryūshiro had learned that the hard way, especially that one time when Mommy drank too much of her bad liquid and punished him severely.

But this lady here… She said he could decide by himself?

The small Uchiha boy looked up to stare at Naruto's face. Two kind, cerulean eyes stared back. Ryūshiro had never seen so much comfort and _love_ radiate from anyone's eyes, and to his bewilderment, that love was directed towards him. How was that possible?

Naruto was about to give up and ask Ryūshiro another question when the little boy suddenly surprised her by timidly taking one of her hands and lightly placing it on his head. Ryūshiro caught the amazed look on Naruto's face, and without realizing it, a small smile consequently graced his features.

The blonde had never seen any child look so beautiful, so angelic, at that moment. And to top it all, she realized that Ryūshiro was the spitting image of his father. Tears well up in Naruto's eyes, and she lovingly ruffled Ryūshiro's hair.

"Sweetheart, can I pick you up?" the blonde whispered.

Ryūshiro, though at first he had been alarmed by Naruto's tears, realized that the babysitter was _happy _that he had allowed her to touch his hair. The boy pondered her question before nodding slowly. Naruto beamed at him, and Ryūshiro involuntarily smiled back at her when he saw the beautiful grin grace her features. Naruto's breath hitched in her throat as Ryūshiro's smile revealed two missing front teeth.

"Ryūshiro, you're gorgeous," Naruto exclaimed. She picked the boy up – he weighed as light as a feather – and held him close. "You are the cutest child I have ever seen."

Ryūshiro's grin got bigger. He had never been complimented, had never been held so tenderly, had never been smiled at, but this was suddenly all happening in one day. The little boy wiped at Naruto's tears, trying to tell her in his own silent way how happy he was that she was now his babysitter. He knew – the way children instinctively knew some things – that Naruto would protect him from now on and forever more.

He felt safe.

Naruto saw the trust that was burning brightly in Ryūshiro's eyes, and she laughed. The blonde kissed Ryūshiro sweetly on one of his chubby, rosy cheeks.

"Squirt, I think your name's a mouthful," Naruto said affectionately. She thought for a quick while. "Would it be okay if I called you 'Shiro-chan?'"

Ryūshiro pondered over the new nickname. He then decided that he didn't mind what nickname was given to him, as long as it was Naruto who called him, and the little boy nodded seriously. Ryūshiro took one chubby hand and wrapped it firmly around a strand of Naruto's golden hair. He was scared that if he wasn't careful, this beautiful savior might disappear. To make sure Naruto wouldn't be whisked away when he wasn't looking, Ryūshiro concluded that the best way would be to have a tight hold on her hair, and indeed, the iron grip he had on Naruto's locks could not have been broken even by Death.

Naruto winced slightly. "Shiro-chan, is that really n – "

A loud wail penetrated the household.

The blonde woman shared a knowing look with Ryūshiro. "Oh. I believe your sister Momo has awakened from her beauty sleep." Ryūshiro nodded, taking his one free hand and beginning to suck furiously away on it.

The boy thought intensely.

Whenever Momo cried, she wouldn't stop for at least a good two, three hours. Ryūshiro had long learned to tune out the wails, but he worried that Naruto might get annoyed and possibly leave. The small boy furrowed his eyebrows, wondering how he could get across to Naruto that he was concerned she might vanish.

Naruto, oblivious to Ryūshiro's distress, immediately set off towards the infant room, picking up speed as the baby's screams got louder and louder with every hysterical cry. Following the sounds of wailing, the blonde soon came across a small room she recognized as one of the rooms she had cleaned earlier in the day. Naruto hastily opened the door and walked in.

"Momo, Momo," Naruto crooned, walking towards the crib. "There, there, baby girl, don't cry anymore, Naruto's here."

The baby immediately stopped crying.

Naruto was surprised. Was it really that easy? She had expected that it would've taken a lot more effort to get Momo to stop crying, considering Tanubi and Jiraiya's warning. Coming to the edge of the crib, Naruto peered over and stared down at Momo. At first she was surprised to notice that the toddler's eyes were green, not onyx like she had expected. Then Naruto realized Momo had stopped crying not because the baby had felt soothed by Naruto's presence, but because she had heard Naruto's entrance and was now paralyzed in fear, her huge eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Naruto also realized that Tsunade and Jiraiya had failed to mention one important detail concerning Momo.

The baby was _blind_. She could not see as she looked straight at Naruto, her emerald eyes unfocused and empty.

"Holy mother of…" Naruto whispered, aghast.

Momo flinched – how does a _two_ year old child flinch? – at the sound of Naruto's voice. The toddler feebly cried out, as if she were expecting to be…

To be beaten.

Naruto wanted to hurl. There was something messed up with this family. The Uchihas were supposed to be the strongest clan in history, and yet, _is this how they treat their children_? First Sasuke and Itachi, the two most angst, revenge-driven people Naruto had ever seen, and now these three kids…

The blonde turned to Ryūshiro who was worriedly sucking away at his thumb. He still had the tight hold on her hair. "Shiro-chan," she whispered softly. "I'm going to put you down real fast, okay? I need to take care of your sister right now. I promise I'll pick you up as soon as my hands are free again."

Ryūshiro nodded. He allowed Naruto to gently place him on the ground, but, still feeling a bit anxious, he now secured his iron grip onto the part of Naruto closest to him, her leg.

Naruto smiled down at the child as she felt him hug tightly. "I'm still here, baby," she reassured him. The blonde then directed her attention to Momo, who was giving out meows of distress.

"You poor, poor thing. Not being able to see, but already having to suffer through so much," Naruto murmured quietly. "There, there, everything's all right now. Don't cry anymore, Momo. I'm not going to hurt you." The blonde gently placed her hand against Momo's cheek. Momo immediately winced, a terrified look on her face. "Sh… sh…" Naruto soothed. "It's okay… it's all right…" And the blonde continued to gently stroke Momo's cheeks. She stroked softly and reassuringly, and eventually the baby's soft cries were beginning to die down.

Naruto then changed the course of her stroking to unexpectedly – but slowly and gently – poking the little baby on her stomach.

Momo blinked, and miraculously, a wondering coo came from the baby's mouth.

Naruto smiled. "There, you're not scared of me, are you? I'm not going to hurt you. You believe me right? Momo, Momo, Momo." The blonde placed two hands around the baby's waist, and when Momo didn't protest, Naruto lifted the baby girl out of her crib and tenderly laid Momo's head on her shoulder. The blonde continued to softly pat the baby's back. "Sh… sh… everything's going to be all right. There, there…"

The green-eyed Uchiha baby consequently sneezed and then relaxed into Naruto's embrace. A sense of security and love, not unlike what Ryūshiro had felt earlier, enveloped Momo.

Ryūshiro, amazed at the sudden transformation that took place in his sister, pulled at Naruto's leg. Naruto directed her attention to the small boy and smiled. She stopped patting Momo and stretched out a hand to enclose around Ryūshiro's.

"Now, Shiro-chan, I think your little sister is hungry. How about we get a late afternoon snack, hm?"

Ryūshiro sucked contently away at his thumb. It didn't matter what they did; as long as his beautiful savior was with him, Ryūshiro was willing to do anything. And now that Momo had been charmed as well by this golden haired goddess, the little boy realized that the _best_ thing had just happened to his life.

_Maybe…_ the little boy concluded. _Maybe all the bad things happened in the beginning because they needed to balance out the goodness of the goddess._ Ryūshiro tightened his hold on Naruto's hand. Whatever the reason, he was never ever letting her go.

Naruto smiled at the boy. "What are you thinking so intensely about, you little angel? C'mon, bring me to the kitchen, Shiro-chan! I've yet to memorize my way around here."

The little Uchiha boy couldn't be happier to comply.

**XXX**

"Is this seriously what you guys eat around here?" Naruto asked, exasperated. "_Tomatoes_?" She saw the suddenly terrified look that flashed through Ryūshiro's face, and the blonde hastily backtracked. "No no no, that's not what I meant! Oh Shiro, I'm not _mad _at you! It's just… just… I really don't like tomatoes."

Ryūshiro furrowed his eyebrows, perplexed. If the goddess wasn't mad at him, then why did she sound it?

Naruto, who had went back to frowning and pouting, stared with dismay at the open refrigerator door. The only thing evident in the refrigerator was mountains and mountains of tomatoes, and the blonde subsequently groaned. It was one thing to be a health freak, but _this_… This was too much.

"Does no one do the shopping around here?" she said, looking down at Ryūshiro. The little Uchiha boy shrugged nonchalantly while Momo sucked contentedly away at her thumb, cooing complacently to herself, oblivious to everything.

"This is horrible." Naruto took out a tomato with the hand that wasn't holding onto Momo. "Tomatoes are disgusting."

Ryūshiro nodded fiercely, still not understanding Naruto's distress but trying his best to assuage her. He personally didn't see anything wrong with tomatoes; in fact, he had been eating them ever since he could remember. But if the goddess didn't like them, then they had to be bad.

"I mean, they're not even vegetables. They're fruits." Naruto paused. "You know what would be good right now, Shiro-chan?"

Ryūshiro had to think twice before shaking his head.

"Ramen," Naruto answered dreamily. "A bowl of ramen is definitely what is missing in this fridge..." The blonde then sighed. "But you guys don't even have instant noodles. So I suppose you're okay with tomato and egg soup for dinner tonight?"

Ryūshiro nodded, excited. He had never had eggs and tomato soup before. No one had ever really bothered with cooking in the household.

"Okay," the blonde replied, smiling brightly at the little Uchiha. "And there's still some unexpired baby food for Momo. We'll manage. And we can go grocery shopping later this week, once I get the – Hey! Speaking of that…" Naruto looked down at Ryūshiro. "Where's your uncle? Do you know?"

Ryūshiro furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know how to explain to Naruto where Itachi was, but he didn't want to let the goddess down.

Naruto smiled as she saw Ryūshiro furiously racking his brains. "Will he be home later tonight?"

The little Uchiha boy nodded.

"Ok! Thanks, Shiro-chan. That's all I need to know." Naruto took out some tomatoes. "Go bring a book here, Shiro-chan! I'll read to you and Momo while I'm cooking!"

Ryūshiro's bright black eyes widened before his chubby face split into a smile, and he jumped up and down in elation. No one has ever read him a story book before. Ryūshiro ran forward to quickly give Naruto a hug – but he could only reach so far, so the little boy cutely grabbed the blonde's leg – and dashed out of the kitchen to grab a book from his room.

Momo cooed, her blank stare aimed at the direction Ryūshiro ran off in. The baby took out one sticky hand from her mouth and stuck it on Naruto's whiskered cheek.

Naruto laughed. "Momo-chan, that's so incredibly nasty."

**XXX**

"And they lived happily ever after," Naruto finished. She closed the storybook and smiled at Ryūshiro, poking him affectionately on his nose. "The end."

Ryūshiro clapped his hands and smiled widely back, showing Naruto his two missing teeth. He loved listening to the goddess read to him. She had the perfect voice and she knew how to act to make the characters seem more real. He tugged at Naruto's sleeve, silently asking her if he could get another book for her to read.

Naruto frowned gently. She looked over at Momo, who was seated on the baby chair and playing complacently with the little baby toys that Naruto had dug up from an old room hidden deep in the Uchiha compound.

"Well, Shiro-chan, we need to eat," the blonde said slowly. She looked at the clock, whose hour hand pointed to eight. "It's getting so late. My eggs and tomatoes must be cold by now. When does Kaira come back?"

Ryūshiro blinked, confused. He shrugged helplessly, his face falling as he didn't know how to answer Naruto's question.

Suddenly, one of Momo's toys fell on the ground. The toddler, blindly searching for it on her chair, realized that she could no longer find it and she began to bawl. Naruto winced and the blonde stood up, walking over to Momo and taking the crying baby out of the chair.

"Sh… sh… sweetie," Naruto said gently. "Don't cry, Momo. I know you're hungry and sleepy." She turned and looked at Ryūshiro. "C'mon, honey, sit at the table. We'll eat now."

The Uchiha boy jumped up, running to the dinner table and seating himself on his favorite spot. He smiled excitedly, wondering what the goddess' cooking would taste like.

Naruto, who had calmed Momo down, seated the baby back on the baby seat. Momo was ready to scrunch her face up to cry again when Naruto took the baby bottle of formula and placed it in Momo's mouth. The baby widened her blind green eyes before realizing it was yummy, and the little girl began to drink contentedly. She took a rattle and shook it happily while sucking on her formula.

Naruto ruffled Momo's hair fondly. "All right, now that we got the little princess satisfied, let's eat, Shiro-chan!" The blonde took the dishes she had cooked – it was mostly dishes containing tomato, but she had found a piece of steak in the back of the freezer – and placed it on the table. "Itadakimasu! Dig in!"

Ryūshiro grinned. He shook in anticipation, staring at what seemed to be a feast in front of him. Everything smelled so nice, so perfect.

His life was perfect.

**XXX**

A lone figure hobbled slowly down the streets and came to the front door of the Uchiha complex. It was Kaira.

The young Uchiha girl opened the door to the compound and walked in, breathing heavily. There were cuts on her arms and legs, and blood dripped onto the floor. She winced. She had trained extra hard today, pushing way past her limit. Her body throbbed. The floor in front of her eyes seemed to blur, and the girl breathed deeply, trying to clear her vision. When it seemed like she wasn't going to faint, the Uchiha girl kept on walking at a slow pace. She needed to eat, but Itachi hadn't bought any food for a week now. Kaira felt her blood boil. She knew he was busy with his work, knew he didn't have time, but why…

Why couldn't her father care more?

"Kaira."

Kaira's eyes widened and she straightened up, staring at a familiar looking blond-haired woman… _Oh. The new babysitter._ On further examination, Kaira noticed the babysitter seemed mad. Livid, actually.

"What in God's name have you been doing to yourself?" Naruto snapped.

The Uchiha girl narrowed her eyes. "It's none of your business."

"None of my business?" Cerulean eyes flashed. "Let me tell you right here, young lady. If you get hurt, it is every bit of _my _ass that's going to get owned. By your father _and_ by Tsunade-baachan, understand?"

Kaira was secretly shocked. The babysitter didn't show the least bit of fright at Kaira. Did that woman not know what the Uchihas were capable of? And the babysitter had a lot of nerve calling Godaime-sama "grandma."

"Shut up," Kaira said coldly. "I was training."

Naruto glared at Kaira. "First off, show me some respect, young lady. And second, no one trains until eleven at night."

"Well I do." The Uchiha girl clenched her fist. "Can't you just mind your _own_ business?"

"Like I said, you _are _my business!" Naruto said, her blue eyes flashing angrily.

Kaira opened her mouth for another retort… and everything turned black.

Naruto groaned as she saw the Uchiha girl faint, and the blonde quickly ran to Kaira and caught the girl right before she fell onto the ground. The woman sighed in exasperation.

"And this is exactly when _your_ business becomes _my _business," Naruto muttered. "Self-conceited Uchihas."

**XXX**

Kaira felt herself swim back into consciousness. Someone was humming softly and wiping her forehead with a soft towel. To the girl's surprise, her wounds no longer hurt. In fact, they were… bandaged and healed. The Uchiha girl opened her eyes groggily, wondering if her dad had come home.

"Here, drink this." A bowl was placed to Kaira's mouth, and the girl obediently drank from it. _Chicken noodle soup?_

Kaira tried to sit up and take a peek at her savior. She saw a glimpse of yellow before the person gently eased her back to a sleeping position. _The babysitter?_

"You shouldn't try to get up just yet, or my hard work would be for nothing," the woman chided softly. Kaira's vision cleared, and the Uchiha girl came face to face with the blonde-haired babysitter. "And you really shouldn't train so hard. It actually doesn't do you any good if you work your body beyond repair."

Kaira blinked, taking a look at her surroundings. She was lying on the couch in the living room and the woman was seated on the ground next to her. "You… Where did you get the chicken noodle soup?"

Naruto shrugged. "I visited our neighbors."

Kaira furrowed her eyebrows. "This late at night?"

The blonde smiled sheepishly and brought her hand up to the back of her head. "Well, I'll just pay them back tomorrow morning. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

The Uchiha girl's mind whirled. _What…_ This babysitter… She must've been the one who had healed Kaira's wounds, and now she's saying that she snuck into the neighbor's house and took chicken noodle soup without waking up with the entire household? Just who… who…

"Who _are _you?" Kaira whispered, her black eyes widening with apprehension.

Naruto smiled gently. "I told you. My name's Naruto." She took the towel and placed it gently on Kaira's forehead. "And you need sleep. You have a fever from an infection in one of your worse cuts. I healed it, but I can't help you with the fever. You just need to get lots of rest and it should be gone by the end of tomorrow."

Kaira shook her head and winced. Her head spun. "Naruto-san, are you a shinobi?"

"Here, take some of these pills. It'll clear your head." Naruto placed the pills to Kaira's mouth and prodded the girl to swallow some. "Better?"

Kaira nodded. She tried to sit up. Naruto didn't stop her this time but instead helped the young girl into a sitting position. The Uchiha girl blushed and muttered something incoherent, but Naruto knew it was a quick "thanks."

"You're welcome," Naruto said brightly, smiling. "Now, will you tell me why you're training so hard? It better be a good reason." The blonde narrowed her eyes playfully. "I'm still deciding whether to ground you for life or til the turn of the century."

Kaira scowled back. "You're not the boss of me." But it was an empty threat and both of them knew it. "I don't wish to say."

Naruto gracefully raised an eyebrow. "If you tell me, I'll answer your question."

Kaira snapped to attention. "You mean it?"

"On my word."

The Uchiha pondered a bit before staring back at Naruto and said, "I want to beat my father."

Naruto nodded seriously. "Yeah. I want to give your father an ass whooping too." She then added as an afterthought, "Sorry. For cussing I mean."

"No, that's not what I meant!" Kaira said defensively, feeling like it was in her honor to back her father. "He's just busy, that's all."

"And that's why you want to surpass him, Kaira. You want him to acknowledge you."

The Uchiha girl looked away. How was it possible for the babysitter to just glance at her and see the deepest secret that she kept in her heart?

"Kaira, look at me."

Kaira found it impossible to ignore the quiet order, and the girl raised obsidian eyes to stare into orbs of blue. Warmth and love shimmered from their ocean depths, and to Kaira's confusion, she felt safe and protected. For once in her life, she felt she could place her trust in someone.

"He loves you very much," Naruto said tenderly, putting her hand under Kaira's chin and raising the girl's head so she could see that everything Naruto said was the genuine truth. "Itachi's not very good at showing his emotions. It's not in him to do that. But he does love you. And damned it be if he's not proud of you."

Kaira stayed quiet and looked away, brooding. "Do you know him Naruto-san?" Naruto smiled bitterly, and Kaira didn't miss the wryness in Naruto's smile. "Naruto-san?"

"Yes," came the sarcastic reply. "I did."

"You knew my father?"

Naruto sighed. "Not personally. Just fought him once."

"Fought him? So… so you were a shinobi."

"Yes. I was." Naruto's voice turned harsh.

Kaira knew it hurt Naruto to ask, but her curiosity wouldn't allow her to stop. "And Sasuke-san?"

There was a dead silence.

"No. I do not know him."

"Oh…" Kaira saw the vacancy in Naruto's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Naruto perked up. "Excuse me?" The blond blinked, and emotion flooded back into the ocean depths. "Kaira, did you just say – "

"Shut up," Kaira growled, embarrassed.

"My goodness, child," Naruto exclaimed. "So you _do_ know some manners after all!" The blonde laughed and in her excitement, she hugged Kaira.

Kaira squirmed uncomfortably. "You can let go, Naruto-san." She wasn't used to physical contact with anyone unless it was on the battlefield. And feelings of endearment and love were just beyond her. "You're hurting me."

"Liar." Naruto let go of the blushing child and beamed. "I fixed your wounds to the best of my ability and I know they're completely healed."

Kaira narrowed her eyes, considering Naruto's comment. "Then, Naruto-san, just what level of shinobi _are_ you?"

"Good… enough, I suppose."

"Like, teaching wise?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to narrow her eyes. She had caught the inflection in Kaira's voice, and she knew what the girl wanted to ask her. "Yes." The blonde went on before the girl could say anymore. "If you want me to train you, I'll be willing to comply. But… you _have _to follow _my_ orders, even if it goes against every Uchiha fiber in your body. That is my ultimatum. Is it a deal?"

Kaira scowled. She knew Naruto had won this battle, but her pride wouldn't allow her to acknowledge her loss.

"Kaira?"

"Ok," Kaira snapped.

"Ok, _sensei_," Naruto corrected in amusement.

Kaira glared at Naruto with sharp black eyes before blowing out a breath and saying, "Ok, Naruto-sensei."

"There we go," the blonde said happily. "Now we're on good terms."

"Hn."

"Don't hn me, young lady!" Naruto frowned before remembering something. "Oh! You need to eat. Give me a second, Kaira-chan." The blonde subsequently disappeared from the room, giving Kaira the time to think over everything that happened in this short while.

Naruto-sensei… was different. Not just from the other babysitters, Kaira realized. But also different when compared to the rest of the world. Kaira had met bubbly and friendly people before – those people irked her to no end – but Naruto… Naruto's happiness did not come completely out of innocence. Kaira could feel a barrier of sorrow and alienation from Naruto that reminded her of herself. And the fact that Naruto could use her happiness to cover the anguish in her, Kaira couldn't understand. Was… Was Naruto-sensei that strong? Was Naruto-sensei so emotionally wired that she was able to be happy and connect to other people even when it seemed like she was in so much pain?

Naruto-sensei was charismatic. She made Kaira feel loved, warmed. A feeling that Kaira hadn't felt in so long. The Uchiha girl furrowed her eyebrows. But what was it about Naruto that gave Kaira such a shiver of fear? What was this dark secret that she could feel resonating from Naruto that gave Kaira such a stark naked terror?

"Oi." Naruto tilted her head and held the tray of food in front of Kaira. "What horrible things are you thinking of there? I've never seen anyone make such a sour face, Kaira."

Kaira scowled, breaking out of her reverie. "Nothing." The girl then realized the buffet of food Naruto was holding in front of her. "You guys went out to eat?"

"No," Naruto said, insulted. "I cooked. It's important for a kunoichi to know how to cook."

Kaira widened her eyes in amazement. "But… but this food…" Indeed, Naruto had spoken the truth, for every dish contained tomatoes except for one. "Where'd you get the steak?"

"It was in the back of the freezer. Luckily, it hadn't expire yet." Naruto placed the tray down on a small coffee table. "Can you tell me why there are so many tomatoes? Shiro-chan couldn't explain it to me."

Kaira looked at Naruto. "Shiro-chan?"

"Oh yeah," the blonde woman said, smiling. "Who named him, seriously?"

"He's not scared of you?"

"Well he was, but not anymore, I hope." Naruto gave Kaira chopsticks and a bowl of rice. "Eat."

Kaira took the bowl and chopsticks gratefully from Naruto and began to dig in. She was shocked at how amazing everything tasted. "Naruto-sensei, you really cooked all of this?" the Uchiha girl said between bites.

"Yes," Naruto said. She laughed. "Just eat. I'll still be here when you're done. Is it good?"

Kaira could only nod. She hadn't tasted such delicious food in so long. She hadn't been treated nicely in so long. She hadn't talked to someone without yelling or being yelled at in so, so, so long. To her chagrin, tears began to fall out of Kaira's eyes.

Naruto smiled kindly. The blonde took a tissue and wiped at Kaira's tears tenderly. "Everything's going to be okay from now on, Kaira. You don't need to fight anymore."

"Thank you, sensei," the girl whispered.

"Don't thank me." Naruto said softly. She took a seat on the couch next to Kaira and hugged her. "Thank you for giving me a chance." Naruto noticed that the girl, who had wolfed everything down in her hunger, was done eating. "You have quite the appetite."

Kaira took a napkin from Naruto and wiped her mouth. "Sasuke-san's favorite foods are tomatoes," she then said, answering Naruto's question from earlier. "We had onigiri too but that stupid babysitter ate it all." Kaira saw anger flash in Naruto's blue eyes. "You met her?"

"Yes," Naruto growled. "Was she the one that did all the drinking?"

"No." Kaira looked away. "That was Sakura." The Uchiha girl couldn't keep the disgust out of her voice.

"Sakura?" Naruto repeated, aghast. "Sakura _drank_?"

Kaira was confused. "Wait… Naruto, did you know Sakura too?"

"Yes," the blonde said, her face still in shock. "Please don't tell me that Momo…"

Kaira gritted her teeth. "It was Sakura," the girl said flatly.

"_What_?"

"Sakura was devastated that Momo was born without the Sharingan eyes, and one day when Sasuke-san wasn't home, she drank herself into such a stupor and in a second she had destroyed Momo's eyes." Kaira shook with anger. "It's all her fault. If she wasn't so useless, if her genes didn't produce such useless babies, then our family wouldn't be like this! That's why… That's why I _have _to get better. I have to uphold the Uchiha line, since the other two are so _useless_!"

Naruto shook Kaira. "No! You must never think that. Kaira, Ryūshiro and Momo are your only relatives. They aren't useless. They're your blood. They're your _kin_, Kaira. You can't treat them with all that hatred! It's not fair to any of you."

Kaira looked away. She knew what Naruto said was right… but… But…

"Kaira, listen to me." Naruto had tears in her eyes. "I know life seems horrible right now, but it's not your fault. It's not your cousins' fault. It's _not_ Ryūshiro or Momo's fault, okay, Kaira? Don't blame them for how things turned out."

The Uchiha girl closed her eyes, trying to accept the truth in Naruto's words.

"They need you right now. They have no mother, no father as far as I can tell, and no friends. They need you, Kaira, more than anything. Please listen to me."

Kaira began to cry. "I know, Naruto-sensei, I _know_. It's just… It's just I'm so alone, and when Momo's crying and Ryūshiro's hurting, _I don't know what to do!_ I don't have a mother either, and Father's always on missions, and Sasuke-san… Sasuke-san hates me!"

In a second, Naruto had Kaira in a deep embrace, letting the girl cry into her chest. Huge sobs racked the girl's body, and Naruto knew that Kaira had kept all these hateful insecurities inside of herself her entire life.

"There, baby, there… Just let it all out… Let it all out," Naruto whispered.

Kaira cried harder. "I don't know what to do, sensei… I don't know what to do…" The Uchiha girl kept repeating those words. "I hate myself. And if I hate myself, how can I love Ryūshiro and Momo? _How_ can I give them love if I don't even know how to love? There are times, sensei… times when I want to kill myself. But I can't, because Father's going to be all alone. Father's hurting too. He's hurting the most out of everyone, and I don't know why. Help Father, sensei. _Can_ you?" Kaira's voice broke at the end of her plea, and the young girl resumed her sobbing.

Tears trickled fast down Naruto's whiskered cheeks. "Of course, sweetheart. Of course I'll help. I'm here from now on. You'll never be alone anymore. So stop hurting and stop worrying. I'm here for keeps, and I'll never leave. I promise."

Kaira heard the conviction in Naruto's voice, and she knew Naruto would not break that pledge. And so, the Uchiha girl, finally letting down her barriers, cried and cried in the embrace of the one woman who had finally reached deep into the Uchiha girl's torn soul and warmed her heart.

"Th-thank you, sensei," the girl sobbed out.

"Sh…" Naruto crooned, patting Kaira's hair. "It's okay now. I love you."

Kaira knew, like her two cousins before her that day, things were going to change. And they were going to change for the better.

**XXX**

Itachi walked into the compound, hesitant. He had met up with Tsunade and Jiraiya after his mission and they had informed him of a new babysitter that had taken residence in the Uchiha household just today. But this time, instead of just sadly waving him away, Tsunade and Jiraiya had warned Itachi that if the new babysitter were to get hurt, something really bad was finally going to happen to him and his brother.

And Itachi had spent the whole walk home wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean.

Opening the door and walking into the living room, Itachi was immediately aware of how _clean_ his house had become. This babysitter was indeed a good one. Probably a shinobi, for only a shinobi would have the energy to clean the huge Uchiha compound.

But what shinobi would be willing to babysit the infamous Uchiha children? Everyone with a good sense of mind steered clear of the Manor.

Then Itachi noticed the two people asleep on the couch of the living room. There was his daughter, Kaira. Here, Itachi felt his heart flame with guilt. Guilt for being such a horrible father. He hated himself for the ways that he treated her – ignored her even, but he did not know any other solution. If she grew attached to him, it would just hurt her more if a day came that Itachi was given a suicide mission. But the remorse that Itachi felt in his heart still throbbed every time he saw his precious daughter…

And finally, turning to the second woman, Itachi was stunned as he recognized the sleeping figure.

It was Uzumaki Naruto. The boy who had died a decade ago. But this person here… was not a boy. And certainly not dead, if the rise and fall of her chest was any clear indication.

She was a beautiful woman, Itachi assented. Her golden hair was free flowing and lively, curling a little at the ends. It shone with verve, hinting that the woman herself was a very vivacious person. Her build was lithe but lean, the perfect stature of a kunoichi. There was a certain charm about her, full of elegance and charisma, that Itachi knew could draw any man towards her. And, upon activating his Sharingan, Itachi could see traces of the demon fox chakra that was centered in Naruto's being.

It was no lie. Uzumaki Naruto was back - as his household's babysitter.

Itachi didn't know what to make of this.

The Uchiha quietly walked over to the couch. He brought a hand forward, about to place it on Naruto's shoulder, when, faster than lightning, the woman's eyes shot open and she grabbed his outstretched hand in a painful grip. Her bright cerulean eyes were flaming with fury. She stood up silently but her firm grip on Itachi's hand did not lessen.

"You fucking bastard, Itachi," Naruto hissed. "Let me tell you now, you have a lot of shit to explain." She threw Itachi's hand aside and walked briskly to the door, blue and red chakra bursting from her body in random spurts. There was no denying that the blonde was livid. "Let's have a talk, shall we? _Outside_, where the children can't hear me blasting your sorry ass halfway through space."

Itachi took one last look at Kaira, who had not awakened from her slumber, and nodded at Naruto. "If you insist."

"Yes I _fucking_ insist," came the pissed retort.

And so Itachi followed an irate Naruto out the door.

**XXX**

* * *

Ok so I'm finally done with this story! Yay!

Kunoichi = female shinobi

Itadakimasu = lets eat!

Shinobi = ninjaaaaa

I wonder what Naruto and Itachi are going to talk about :3 I think I'll add a twist to it hehe

And yes. Sasuke will show up someday. LOL It is SasuNaru fanfic

So it's break, which means I have more time to write. But my motivation comes and goes LOL so please keep up with the reviews! Your reviews are seriously a wonderful motivator

Thanks to you who have all already reviewed! Thanks a lot :] Please keep it up!


	4. Chapter 3: The Party

Here's chapter 3!

XXX

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Party**

* * *

Naruto and Itachi strolled down the deserted streets of Konoha. There was an edgy silence between the two; the blonde had her hands clenched in fury while Itachi kept his guard up, just in case the blonde decided to use her fists. The Leaf village was deadly quiet, not a light to be seen in the distance nor a single noise to be heard.

Itachi raised an eyebrow as he followed Naruto at her quick pace. He finally broke the silence, his curiosity and exasperation getting the better of him. "Where are we headed, Naruto?"

"Shut your trap and follow me," she snapped.

Itachi consented, knowing that further angering Naruto would indeed be a bad idea.

After a few more minutes of briskly pacing around in the dark, Naruto and Itachi came to a clearing. It was a desolate area, and after looking around some, Itachi realized the blond had instinctively brought the two of them to the training grounds of her old Genin team. There were the three old tree stumps in the distance, and the memoir of those killed in action only a few steps away.

"Do you really mean to fight me, Naruto?" Itachi asked softly.

Naruto whirled around, and she jabbed one finger into Itachi's chest. "Well fuck, Itachi, I don't want to fight you right now, I want to kill you."

"I didn't know you were going to come back to Konoha. What changed your mind?"

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise, cerulean orbs swirling with emotion. "Don't change the subject."

"Before you kill me, I'd like to know."

"Are you mocking me, Itachi? Do you think that I'll let you off the hook if you keep your 'Uchiha' on?"

There was definitely amusement dancing in Itachi's obsidian eyes.

"I never asked you to," he said.

"Never asked me to _what_?"

"To let me off the hook."

"I hate you."

Itachi raised one eyebrow, as if he were challenging the validity in her statement.

"Fuck you!" Naruto repeated, furious at the Uchiha's infuriating manner. She shook her head, trying to clear her head of the many emotions, and the blood pounded in her head, gifting her a massive migraine. She battled the conflicting emotions inside her before blowing out a breath, and it seemed like her anger deflated with it. "You get away with everything."

"Naruto."

The blonde bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. Finally she stepped forward and embraced the taller man in a bear hug. Itachi, the ghost of a small smile gracing his beautiful features, patted Naruto on her back.

"I am forgiven now?"

"Not in a million years!" Naruto punched Itachi firmly on his shoulder. "We need to talk. Sit down." And the blonde subsequently took a seat on the grass. Itachi stared warily at the waiting blonde. He really didn't want to have this conversation at this particular moment, but he knew the berating was far from over. The woman seated on the grass seemed to be getting more and more impatient by the second – as if the dark auras that swirled around her weren't clear enough of an indication – and so the Uchiha complied.

Naruto clenched her teeth. "Itachi, you saved my ass that one time, and I'm in your debt, but there a lot of shit you need to explain right now."

"What do you want to know?"

There was a short silence, broken by a grief-stricken whisper. "_Why_?"

Itachi looked over at Naruto. "Why what?"

"Why did you save me?" Naruto hissed, her beautiful tan face contorted with agony. The sorrow in the blonde's eyes swirled uncontrollably in their ocean depths. "Hell, this starts even earlier than that. If you really loved Sasuke, why did you kill your family? And why are you doing this to Kaira now?" Naruto turned anguished blue orbs to Itachi. "_Why_ didn't you stop… _them_?" Her lower lip trembled as tears spilled down her cheeks.

Itachi stayed silent. He didn't know what to do as he helplessly watched Naruto cry. Feeling awkward and vulnerable, the Uchiha took a hand and wiped at Naruto's cheeks. "Why are you at Konoha, Naruto? I thought you told me you were going to go back to the Tsuchikage's and staying there until he renewed a peace treaty with Konoha."

"Well some things that weren't supposed to happen happened – _Akatsuki_ happened," the blonde answered flatly. She numbly let Itachi wipe at her tears, touched by his action but still terribly upset at the man. "_You_ would know that. You were probably in on it."

"No I wasn't. I was back – "

"Five years ago." Naruto blew out a breath. "I know, I know. Your bastard brother dragged you home." The blond clenched her fists. Her accusation was still on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn't bite it back. "You didn't try to stop Akatsuki."

"They found out I was a Konoha spy. It was Sasuke who saved my life. They would've killed me if it weren't for him."

"Whoop dee doo. Sasuke the hero," Naruto said bitterly.

"Do you still hate my baby brother?"

"Does the sun not rise in the morning? Don't ask stupid questions, Itachi. It's unfitting to your surname."

"He misses you," the Uchiha said softly.

Naruto glared at Itachi. "Did you – "

"No, I never told him," Itachi said squarely. "He was upset when he thought that you had died. He didn't stopped eating for days."

"'Upset'? Ha!" Naruto threw back her head and barked out a crazed laugh. Her eyes met Itachi's impassive midnight blacks, and the man saw how cold and empty her azure gaze was. "Am I supposed to be touched? Fuck him."

Itachi's black eyes softened. "Naruto, don't you think you can give him a second chance? Now that you're back and he's trying to change – "

"You want to know why I'm back?" Naruto snapped, her eyes flashing. "Because Akatsuki killed the Tsuchikage's son!" She saw the surprise that flashed through Itachi's normally impassive eyes, and the blond went on. "Yeah, that's right. They killed him. I don't know how they got under all of our protection, but they sure did. Stuck a knife in his throat and cut his stomach open as well. Then they framed Konoha so the Tsuchikage's not going to stop now until Konoha's burned to the ground. Exactly what Akatsuki wants."

There was a silence.

Naruto laughed bitterly, her face twisted in pain. "And of course, I'm the only one who made it back, since the rest of them went to fight off the ambush team that the Tsuchikage sent to Konoha. As far as I know, they're dead and rotting away in a ditch somewhere. I wasted three years of my life chasing after your baby brother, and finally when I moved on and seem to have found a better life, it's torn away from me. Now you're asking me to go back to him? How can you even say he's changed? Just look at Ryūshiro! Look at - look at his poor, _blinded_ daughter. Fuck him, Itachi. That's all I have to say. Fuck him."

Itachi stayed quiet for a while. "I'm sorry about your teammates."

"Don't be sorry," Naruto said resentfully. "It's not _your _fault. _You _were back in Konoha."

"You know I tried my best."

Naruto looked away, knowing Itachi had spoken the truth. Her mind flew back to that day five years ago when she had first met Akatsuki – when she had first met Itachi.

It was a fight with Kisame that had almost killed her. She wasn't used to his crazy unconventional fighting style, and just when his sword had almost drained all of her chakra, Itachi appeared. The Uchiha told Kisame that he would take care of Naruto. Kisame had been hesitant at first, but when Itachi glared Mangekyo Sharingan eyes at the shark man, Kisame quickly obliged and left. Naruto thought that her end was near when she came face to face with the man that had slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan in cold blood, but the next thing she knew, Itachi was healing her and bandaging her wounds. She seriously considered the possibility that hell had frozen over.

Itachi, while applying his medicinal care, explained tersely to the very confused blonde that he was a friend; he had been acting on Konoha's orders the whole ten, twenty years. Even the Uchiha massacre had been an order from the headquarters of the Hokage. Now he was in Akatsuki as a Konoha spy, gathering and receiving information from the enemy lines and reporting back to Konoha as soon as the opportunities presented themselves.

Naruto had found everything hard to take in – hard to digest – but she soon realized that the man was telling the truth, for why else would he be treating her wounds instead of killing her like he had promised Kisame?

For the next couple of days, Itachi stayed by Naruto's side, making sure that the blond was recuperating at a healthy rate and making sure that in her vulnerable state she stayed out of harm's way. Naruto had taken the time to quickly grow attached to Itachi, realizing that he was everything that Sasuke was not – kind, warm, gentle, considerate. The years that Itachi spent as a cold-blooded killer did not seem to have changed him and his morals, something that Naruto had found very admirable.

When it was time to part, Naruto had felt rather sad, much to her surprise and chagrin. But Itachi promised the girl that he would keep in touch with her during her stay in Earth country. Naruto had believed him, being the gullible person that she was, but Itachi never kept that promise, and after waiting for a couple of years or so, the blonde had hardened her heart against him like she did with the younger Uchiha.

But -

But if…

Her sudden insight was like a blow to her stomach, and said organ threatened to hurl out its contents. For now, like a click in her mind's clockworks, things made sense.

"They knew…" Naruto said, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Akatsuki found out about you helping me, didn't they? And that's why they were going to kill you. Until Sasuke finally realized the truth about the Uchiha massacre and saved you. Cuz everything happened five years ago. You saving me. You coming back to Konoha."

Itachi bowed his head. His silence alone was enough to confirm Naruto's epiphany.

"Oh my God..." She found it hard to find the words to express the turmoil in her mind. "And all this time, you kept your mouth shut? About me and my team's hideaway? About the fact that I was alive? You hid it from Tsunade-baachan for eight whole years?"

The Uchiha man looked at Naruto with impassive eyes. "You asked me to not tell anyone, Naruto. I'm sorry I couldn't keep in touch with you, for my actions here in Konoha were closely monitored. You being a spy in Earth Country was for the best of Konoha, but I knew Tsunade-sama would send all of our ANBU forces to get you back, no matter what the reasoning, so I kept it from her as well."

"Itachi..." She felt like shit, and devastating remorse plagued her being. "I'm sorry."

"And what are you to be sorry for, Naruto?"

"I'm sorry for not believing you, Itachi," the blonde said as she bowed her head in shame. "I thought that you turned out to be a rotten egg just like your brother – breaking promises and manipulating people's feeling. I thought that you lied to me. I'm sorry for ever doubting you."

Itachi stayed quiet, but he brought a finger up and fondly flicked Naruto's forehead.

Naruto smiled shakily at Itachi. "If you really are the person I thought you were, Itachi, then why are you treating Kaira the way you do?"

"You know the life of a shinobi is hard."

"It's nothing you cannot handle."

"What happens if Konoha asks me to do another insane mission that causes me to be thrown out of the village? How do you think that's going to affect Kaira?" Itachi's voice was pained, and his eyes mirrored his fears; anguish was etched deep into their obsidian depths. "It's going to hurt her more."

Naruto shook her head, her expression stubborn. "You're wrong, Itachi. Tsunade would never let you do something like that ever again."

"Oh? Even with the war that's sure to break out between the two countries?" Itachi's tone became harsh. "When she's going to have to choose between the village and my life, I already know Godaime-sama's choice. I don't blame her for it because it's the shinobi way. But I want Kaira out of it as much as she can be."

"By isolating her?" Naruto's bitter tone matched Itachi's. "Itachi, it's not helping you or her by throwing your only child aside and pretending like she doesn't exist. She _needs_ you, Itachi. She loves you and all she ever wants in her life is your acknowledgement that she's alive."

Itachi looked at Naruto with soft black eyes. "Naruto, you're here now."

The blond was flabbergasted. "Me? Itachi, just what the fuck does this have to do with me?"

"I saw the way Kaira was sleeping. I hadn't seen her sleep like that in years. She felt safe around you. You have that chakra, Naruto, I told you."

Naruto laughed mockingly. "That chakra? You mean the chakra that invades the hearts of other people and gets them to trust me? Sounds like shit from a fairy tale."

"You still don't believe me, Naruto. Your father had the same energy about him that just got people to like him, to trust in him. You have it too. Why else do you think you can change the way people think in such little time?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I beat some sense into them." Naruto saw Itachi's raised eyebrows and she looked away. "Look, Itachi, I know a part of what you say is right. That there _is_ something strange about me that just get people to click with me, but… but it doesn't always work."

"What do you mean?"

"If I really had that friendly, life changing energy, I would not have failed on Sasuke." Naruto's voice broke. "I tried so hard on Sasuke. And when it didn't work, I gave up, Itachi. Why are you still hoping that I can change him?"

"Because you're the only one who can."

"No… No I'm not." Naruto's cheeks were flushed. "He broke my heart so many times. I never ever want to think about that man again. I took the job of the babysitter because I wanted to make a difference in those kids' lives. Well I did, and as soon as Sasuke comes back from his mission, I'm leaving. I'm not staying to have him break my heart all over again, Itachi."

"Can you really do that? You win those kids' trust, and you're still going to leave them?" Itachi's voice was quiet but accusing, and Naruto caught on to the Uchiha's manipulation.

"Don't give me that crap, Itachi," Naruto said coldly. "You'd better start changing the fucking way you act around those kids, or I'm going to beat some sense into that brain of yours. They don't need me. They need _you_."

Itachi sighed. He knew how stubborn Naruto was. Guilt tripping the blond haired woman was a dumb and useless effort; he shouldn't have tried. "Naruto, please…"

"Itachi, I'm not going to fall in love with your brother."

The Uchiha man smiled wryly. He had to give it to the woman; she was quick to catch on. No wonder she was such a good shinobi. "Why are you so sure?"

Naruto stared evenly back at Itachi, and the blonde held her head up. Her voice was clear as she answered, "Because I'm engaged to Inuzuka Kiba."

Itachi stayed quiet as he took the time to process this new information. He was surprised, sure, but a part of him always knew she had tried to move on from Sasuke. And the rebound had happened to be Kiba.

"Congratulations."

"Save it," Naruto snapped. "I don't need to hear them, especially when you don't mean it."

"I do."

"No you don't." Cerulean eyes flashed. "I can feel it. The skepticism from you. You think I'm still in love with your baby brother, just like Kurama does."

"Oh?" Itachi smiled dryly. "So Nine Tails is on my side?"

"Shut up. I'm not in love with that Uchiha bastard, so you two can go burn in hell."

"Naruto…" Itachi said. Anything to save his little brother's soul. "Don't forget him just yet."

"I hate him."

"Naruto."

She glared at Itachi. "Does it amuse you to see me in pain?"

"You know the answer to that."

"Then stop asking the impossible from me! I erased him, Itachi. He's forgotten from my heart. I don't know him anymore, so drop it."

Itachi looked at Naruto. "You're stubborn, Naruto, but I will not quit. I fucked my little brother's life over, and damned I'll be if I don't make it right again."

Naruto clenched her fist. "Well gee, Itachi, he fucked _my _life over. Over and over again. So you can keep asking. And I'll keep disappointing. I forgot Sasuke, Itachi. I don't remember him anymore, and I'd like to keep it that way. Even if I have to wait for Kiba for the rest of my life, it is a billion times less painful than what your brother did to me."

"Naruto…"

"Besides, he went and fucked Sakura over as well. Literally. Now they have two kids who don't even know what it means to belong. Why can you not see your brother for who he is? A fucking disaster."

Itachi flinched. "Naruto, you do not mean that."

"Yes I do. Accept the truth, Itachi. I've long let Sasuke go and forgot about that section of my life. I don't need to go back to it and revisit those painful memories."

There was a dry silence, broken by Itachi's bitter voice. "It's not his fault he turned out the way he is. It's my fault. I should've just killed him along with the rest of our family. Then he wouldn't have to have suffered so much. If only I had listened to orders." Itachi's voice grew quieter and quieter. "If only I didn't love him so much."

Naruto was standing her ground. "Well he needs to learn to just man the fuck up."

"Naruto, I will not give up."

"Then prepare to be disappointed."

The two unmovable mountains looked away from each other, both frustrated that the other did not see things the same way. Itachi then felt a stir of amusement at the situation, and he smiled wryly. Only Naruto had the ability to make him feel so conflicted, so riled. He remembered the last time he had crossed paths with her. Not only did he grow fond of the girl at that time, but he had also realized why Sasuke was so caught up on the blonde ninja.

"Naruto."

Naruto glared at Itachi. "Did I not just make myse – "

"If I were to try to change my mindset towards Kaira – towards the children, would you try to do the same? Towards Sasuke?"

Naruto's eyes flashed angrily. "Excuse me? I think you're mistaken here, Itachi, but let me tell you, parents are _supposed_ to take care of their children. It's not something you can bribe other people with."

"You know I think what I'm doing is right."

"Well it's _not_."

"Who are you to say?" Itachi countered quietly. "Sasuke grew attached to me, and look at how much pain I made him go through after the massacre." Naruto stayed silent. "How do you know Kaira wouldn't do the same?"

"Because I'm not going to let something like that happen ever again." Naruto stared evenly back at Itachi. "I'm not going to let Tsunade-baachan force you to do anything like the Uchiha Massacre ever again. You have my word."

Itachi inclined his head. "That's very commendable of you, Naruto, but as of the moment…"

The words hung in the air, the tension thick and suffocating.

"I will consider it."

"Thank you."

There was a short silence. Crickets chirped in the distance, and a small breeze stirred. Itachi watched Naruto's hair lift up in the wind, and he reached for it to catch a golden lock in his fingers. It was silky and soft to his touch.

Naruto gave the man an inquiring look, and she noticed how sad the small smile on his handsome face looked.

"Itachi…?"

Itachi met Naruto's eyes, and she was stunned at how sharp his black cauldron eyes were. "Your hair got longer."

"Yeah…" Naruto blinked rapidly, wondering what was going through the Uchiha's mind. "I'm growing it out. Kiba… said he liked my hair long."

Itachi murmured quietly, "It's very pretty."

Naruto blushed, and she looked away. Itachi's pensiveness was making her edgy. "Thanks, Itachi." The man didn't respond, and Naruto grew impatient. "Really now, Itachi, what's going on? What brought – "

"Your hair's the same as hers. The same length. The same texture."

Naruto's eyes widened, and she immediately knew what Itachi was talking about. Tears formed in the cerulean eyes, and the woman reached for Itachi's hand. She held his hand tightly, and she saw how unfocused his eyes were.

"Is Kaira's mom still… still…"

"No." The whisper hung in the air. Itachi's voice was thick with pain. "Akatsuki killed her."

Naruto gasped. "No - oh God, Itachi, no. Please don't say - _No_!" She clasped desperately at Itachi's hand. "Please tell me it wasn't because of me…" But the anguish in the man's desolate eyes said it all, and Naruto felt her heart tear in two. "I'm so sorry, Itachi."

"It's not your fault. It was bound to happen anyway. They were already suspicious…" Itachi felt a tear trickle down his cheek. "They held her hostage and lured me into the trap. If Sasuke… If Sasuke hadn't shown up on time, they would've taken Kaira's life too."

"How old was she at that time?"

"Four."

"Does she… Does she remember?"

"No. We erased her memory."

"Oh my god… So she doesn't know? At all?"

"No. I've never told her." Itachi raised two dull black eyes to stare blankly at Naruto. "I don't know how to tell her that it was her father who killed her mother."

In a flash Naruto held the older Uchiha in a tight embrace, and the tears that fell from Naruto's cerulean eyes splattered all over Itachi's ANBU attire. The blonde shook uncontrollably as she felt Itachi's buried pain and guilt, and she knew that in these ten, twenty years, it was Itachi who had suffered the most. Murdering his entire clan, seeing his beloved baby brother consumed with hatred, watching his loved one killed in front of his eyes, and the remorse he felt towards his own precious daughter…

"Itachi," Naruto whispered thickly. "It doesn't have to be this way. People can help you. _Sasuke _can help you."

Itachi shook his head. "Sasuke's already beating himself up enough over missing his chance to be with you, Naruto."

Naruto flinched, and Itachi added hesitantly, "He knew about your gender, didn't he? You two…" The blonde's face was emotionless, but her arms fell down limply on her side. The Uchiha caught Naruto's eyes, and he pleaded into their sapphire depths. "Naruto, _please_, just see him once more. I'm sure he's more than sorry for whatever he's done to offend you, and I can't bear him to live on in this agony."

Naruto closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before saying slowly, "Because it will ease your suffering, Itachi. But –" here, cerulean clashed again onyx – "I'm not guaranteeing anything. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be." A moment's silence. "I refer to Kiba."

A small sad smile graced Itachi's lips. "As long as you keep your options open."

"Naturally."

There was a comfortable silence as the two finally reached a consensus. Naruto stared quizzically at the brooding man. She saw how dead his bleak, black eyes looked, how he seemed to be staring at the sky with a look of pure regret and torment etched upon his angelic, beautiful face, and before she knew what she was doing, before Itachi had any time to react, Naruto dipped her head and caught the surprised Uchiha in a swift kiss. Itachi's eyes widened in shock and his mind went completely blank. There was no way this action could be right, could be _allowed_ – the woman of his little brother's dreams, and yet instead she was kissing him. Nonetheless, hesitantly – instinctively – he relaxed into her lip's soft touch and allowed her gentle caresses to soothe away his pain. When they broke apart, Naruto tenderly placed one finger on Itachi's face and wiped away at the lone tear that had fallen out of his eye.

"Why… did you do that?" Itachi asked numbly.

"Because." Naruto smiled wistfully. "Because you looked sad." She grabbed the Uchiha's hand and pulled him into a standing position along with her. He was a good head or two taller than her, and Naruto's smile widened as she saw that Itachi no longer had the deadened look in his eyes.

"Eight years ago," the blond said, her entire face blazing brightly with determination, "you healed me back to life. From today and onwards, it's my turn to return the favor." She grabbed for Itachi's hand and held it tightly. "My love towards you may not be romantic or anything of the sort, but love is still love, and indeed, only love can heal all wounds." Naruto placed their intertwined hands on Itachi's heart, and she smiled brightly at the Uchiha. "It's my promise to you."

Itachi smiled back. "I believe you." With his free hand, he pushed back Naruto's golden bangs and placed it behind her ear so he could see her face better. "Thank you, Naruto."

The two then began their slow walk back to the Uchiha compound.

**XXX**

_One month later_

**XXX**

Shiro watched Momo carefully. The goddess had told him Momo was now beginning to learn how to walk, and sometimes when she'd try to make a said attempt, her legs would wobble and she'd tip over. It was Shiro's job to make sure to catch Momo when she did fall, but the job proved to be much more wearisome than Shiro had originally thought. He wondered if he had been as ridiculous as Momo when he was her age, and after breaking Momo's fall for what seemed to be the hundredth time that afternoon, the poor boy longingly wished that his goddess would be done with her errands and save him from this monotony. As if on cue, a voice rang out loud and clear.

"Shiro-chan? Shiro, Momo, where are you?"

The little Uchiha boy perked up at the sound of Naruto's voice, and he loudly stomped on the ground a couple of times to alert Naruto of their location. Momo squealed excitedly as she, too, recognized Naruto's voice, and the baby girl began to yell at the top of her lungs.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

In a second Naruto was in the playroom, and she smiled adoringly at the two children who stood in the middle of the room, waiting for her. In one smooth motion, Naruto swooped down and had both Uchiha kids in her arms. Momo giggled elatedly as Shiro's black eyes shone like two bright stars. The Uchiha boy kissed his blond goddess on her whiskered cheek, telling her in his silent language just how much he missed and loved her. Momo, meanwhile, had yet to cease her yelling.

"Mama! Mama!"

Naruto held the two kids tightly, for they had become the most precious things to her in the short time that she had lived in the Uchiha mansion. Lovingly returning Shiro's kiss and bumping noses with him as well, she stared deep into his trusting black eyes before saying feverishly, "I love you, Uchiha Ryūshiro." Then turning to Momo, whose blind green eyes seemed to be fixated on Naruto's face, almost as if the baby girl could see the blonde, Naruto smiled widely and kissed Momo's fat cheeks.

"Hello to you, gorgeous."

"Mama! Mama!"

Naruto's blue eyes softened. She remembered that shocking day, just last week, as she was cooking dinner and Shiro was watching TV in the other room. Momo was seated in her high chair, playing with her little toys when one of them dropped onto the floor, something that went unnoticed by Naruto. Momo, frustrated, did not know how to catch Naruto's attention, but the next thing Naruto knew, a shout of "Mama" rang loud and clear throughout the kitchen. And ever since then, no matter how much Naruto tried to coax Momo out of the habit, the baby would scream 'Mama' whenever she wanted Naruto. It amused and, Naruto suspected, _pleased,_ Itachi to no end, but Naruto was worried that Momo and Ryūshiro would soon start to replace Sakura with her. It's true that Sakura hadn't been much of a good mother figure, but after being married to Sasuke for so long, who knew exactly what had happened behind the closed doors? Although Naruto did come to the Uchiha compound to baby-sit the neglected kids, she sure as hell didn't want to replace Sakura in her own home. Naruto had heard that Sakura was on the way to recovery (granted, it was a slow process), but she knew that there were many loose ends to be tied up once Sakura was deemed mentally healthy again.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Naruto said firmly – but still affectionately. "I'm not your mother, precious baby. It's _nee-san_."

Momo cooed once before breaking into a big grin – showing two growing front teeth, quite the opposite of Shiro's missing front teeth – and saying in what seemed almost to be a defiant voice, "Mama!"

Naruto was about to sternly correct the toddler once more when another figure stepped into the room.

"Sensei?" The girl seemed stunned, then, "Sensei, you look beautiful!"

Naruto turned to look at the young teenager who spoke. Kaira stood in the doorway, her hair tied back in a ponytail and eyes huge in shock. Naruto secretly smiled, something she couldn't help but do whenever she saw Kaira. In the matter of four weeks, Naruto had changed Kaira from a bitter, reclusive teenager into a bright, open youthful girl. Her long black hair no longer covered her face, her eyes – which, to Naruto's surprise, were actually _brown_, something she must've gotten from her mother – no longer glared but instead shone with curiosity and acceptance, and her mouth was no longer drawn in a thin line but always pulled back in a smile. Of course, Naruto couldn't take all the credit for this miraculous change; if it weren't for the improved behavior and attendance of a certain Uchiha man, getting Kaira to change would've been twice the challenge.

The said Uchiha was also in a similar stunned position as his daughter, and he broke Naruto's reverie by asking gently, "Why are you all dressed up?"

Naruto rolled her eyes. "Seems like _you_ forgot, Itachi. Kaira, aren't you going to come hug your sensei? I haven't seen you all day!"

Kaira ran forward and hugged Naruto tightly, also taking a consenting Shiro out of Naruto's arms and kissing Momo in the process. "I've been training with Father, Naruto-sensei. Where'd you get such a pretty dress?"

Naruto laughed. "You like it? I'll give it to you when you're older!"

"Oh, but sensei, it matches your blue eyes better!"

"Anything looks good against your flawless pale skin, Kaira," Naruto teased. "You have your father to thank for that." The blonde winked at the Uchiha.

Itachi gracefully raised one eyebrow. "Would you care to jog my memory, my lady? I can't remember for what reason do you have to be dressed up as the most beautiful woman in all of Konoha."

Naruto blushed while Kaira beamed at her father's not so subtle compliment. "It's my welcome back party, remember?" the blonde stammered. "At Sai and Ino's place."

Kaira gasped at this particular piece of news. "Oh really? Can we go? Please please please?" Shiro, who had been motionless in Kaira's arms the whole time, perked up and his angelic face split into a smile. "See, even Shiro wants to go!"

"Now, Kaira, Ryūshiro," Itachi reprimanded gently. "It's not a place for young children."

Kaira turned to Naruto, her brown eyes imploring. "But sensei, it's a _party_! I'm sure Yuuta and Mana will be there!"

"Yuuta? Mana?" Naruto asked Itachi, bewildered.

"They're Ino's twins. Both of them are in Kaira's Team."

"Yeah, they drive Ino-sensei insane sometimes," Kaira added.

Naruto blinked. "Wow, Ino got her own kids in her Team? Talk about bad luck."

"They're pretty good students," Itachi offered. "Those two are even younger than Kaira."

Naruto was stunned. "But Kaira's ten. She's a genius for her age! Even her Sharingan is activated." There was a moment silence as Naruto put one and one together. "Does that mean Yuuta and Mana are prodigies as well?" A look of fond exasperation passed through Itachi's eyes, which, luckily, went unnoticed by Naruto.

"Yup, we're the youngest trio in our age group!" Kaira answered excitedly. "And just yesterday Yuuta and I placed a bet on something." She squirmed eagerly. "So please, sensei, can we go? Pretty please?"

Shiro's black eyes begged silently alongside Kaira's browns.

Naruto smiled and turned to look at Momo, who was happily sucking away on her hand. "Now all we're missing are your pretty emeralds, Momo." The blonde handed Momo to Kaira, who had to gently set Shiro on the ground in order to hold the baby girl in her arms. "If you three can get fancied up by the time Itachi and I finish our talk, we'll take you - "

The three kids bolted out of the room before Naruto could finish her sentence. Momo's squeal of delight echoed down the hallway.

Naruto smiled and reached for Itachi's hand. "Well, they're Uchihas for sure. No one else would've been able to match that speed."

A flicker of amusement appeared in Itachi's eyes before the orbs of liquid black quickly turned teasing. "You spoil them."

Naruto rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Itachi. Don't think I didn't see you slip Momo and Shiro a huge slice of chocolate cake just the other day. They're already chubby enough. Especially that little Momo."

A smile twitched on Itachi's lips. "I think she gained ten pounds after you started baking all those sweets, Naruto," he countered.

"That was meant for Kaira!" Naruto's voice mirrored exasperation. "She's the one going through puberty right now, and _have you seen your girl's legs_? They're skinny as twigs!" The blonde crossed her arms. "Plus, you've been training her every day this week. I thought breaks were meant for resting."

There was no denying it now. Fierce pride shone in Itachi's face. "She's a natural," he said, his usual detached voice now barely hiding the undertone of excitement. "I've never seen anyone master the fire jutsus so quickly and so _easily_." The Uchiha turned to Naruto. "Did you help her, Naruto? She told me you taught her a lot that one week I was gone for my mission."

Naruto shrugged modestly, but a big smile was on her face as she saw how happiness was radiating from Itachi. "Well, I explained to her that charka control had a lot to do with envisioning the jutsu. We spent a few days learning that, but she definitely is a prodigy." The blonde paused. Then, her voice strange, "Do you think…"

The rest of her sentence stuck in her throat.

Itachi's eyes softened as he caught on to Naruto's apprehension. "Shiro will learn how to speak soon," he assured the blonde softly. "It's only a matter of time before he'll be calling you 'Mama.'"

The blonde gave Itachi a scowl, but the glower disappeared as quickly as it came. She bit her cheek with a worried expression on her face, and her shoulders slumped forward tiredly. "But he's almost five! I mean, Shiro definitely doesn't lack the smarts – he catches onto shinobi training just as fast as Kaira – but I've yet to hear Shiro utter a single _sound_. I could care less for words, but he can't even make a cry of pain. I've seen him. When he accidentally stabbed himself during kunai practice the other day, all that came out of his mouth was a silent yelp."

Itachi placed his hand tenderly on Naruto's head. "He'll be fine, Naruto. You can't expect that much change in just a month. I have faith in my nephew." The man smiled and ruffled Naruto's golden hair. "And you should too."

The concern in Naruto's eyes didn't disappear. "And there's Momo too. Is there nothing the doctors can do at all about her eyes? Even Tsunade-baachan can't fix her?"

"You've already asked Godaime-sama twice, Naruto." Despite his soft, comforting voice, the Uchiha felt a pang of empathy for his niece, who probably lived in a colorless world. "She's still the happiest toddler in Konoha, and as long as you're there to support her, it will always be so. I'm sure she'll grow up to be an astounding ANBU ninja."

But even Itachi himself didn't know if Momo had inherited the Sharingan eyes or not, and if she did, it was doubtful she could activate and use them in her blind state.

Naruto let out a long breath. "I know, I know." The blonde then grinned sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, Itachi, I always bring this topic up." She hugged the Uchiha in a tight embrace and kissed him on his cheek. "Thank you."

The man returned Naruto's smile before saying wryly, "Now, are you going to let me change or not? I look like a scoundrel standing next to you."

"Oh! Oh I'm sorry, I totally forgot! Okay, hurry, the party starts in ten minutes! And I definitely can't be late."

A quick peck on her cheek, a fast, moving blur, and Itachi disappeared from the room. Naruto grinned. Then, raising an eyebrow – not unlike what Itachi was prone to do at certain times - the blonde shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Kaira, Shiro, Momo! Are you guys ready yet?"

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Mama! Mama!"

A pang went through her heart when she didn't hear the third voice, but nonetheless, the grin on Naruto's face grew bigger.

"Let's get this party started!"

**XXX**

Ino was surprised to see the four Uchiha at Naruto's 'official' welcome back party. It wasn't like the Uchihas weren't invited… but seriously, who had expected that they would actually make time in their goddamn busy Uchiha schedules to come to a _party_? When Naruto arrived at the door, hastily ringing the doorbell and running forty minutes late, everyone had similar looks of shock plastered on their faces as Itachi and the three Uchiha heirs followed in the blonde woman's wake through the doorway.

But then again, on second thought, Ino of all people should've been more mentally prepared. For who else – excluding the ones living in the Uchiha Manor – had spent that great deal of time with Itachi's only daughter, Kaira? And there indeed was a significant – wondrous even – change in Ino's pupil during the past four weeks. Not only did Kaira's team communication and cooperation skills suddenly increase tenfold, but her usual sullen and sneering face had been replaced by a much healthier, much happier countenance. Already, many upper classmen had begun to notice the adolescent Uchiha girl and whispers of her name had started to circulate among the Teams.

The same thing could be said for Sasuke's two children. Ryūshiro no longer cowered at every shadow like he used to. Instead he had become less hesitant to try new things – like making friends for instance. The happy Uchiha boy could be seen during Academy school surrounded by crowds of students, older and younger, male and female. Ryūshiro apparently had taken on his beloved babysitter's best trait - charisma. And charismatic the child was, never lacking an adorable smile, never missing a gracious bow here and there.

In terms of physical appearance, there was no child in all of Konoha who could match Ryūshiro's beauty. Even before Naruto's appearance, there had been whispers of "Shiro Tenshi" – white angel – as Ryūshiro's nickname, but the child had never so well lived up to that nickname until now. For now, always, his cheeks were flushed with the color of soft pink, a stunning contrast against his flawless, pale skin. His winning smile, another of which he must've gotten from Naruto, nearly splits his adorable face in half every time, and the two subsequent missing front teeth were enough to woo any girl's heart. His midnight eyes, the exact replicas of his father's, were not cold or veiled as one would expect of an Uchiha but instead glowed with love and trust, especially when they were directed towards his beloved babysitter.

The young Uchiha boy was indeed Cupid reincarnate.

Then there was Momo… Well, it was Ino's first time seeing Momo ever since Sakura moved out of the Uchiha estate, but if the happy cries of "Mama! Mama!" and the joyous fits of laughter weren't an insinuation of the toddler's well being, then what was?

Even Itachi didn't seem as aloof and broody as he used to be.

Ino, like the rest of the party, knew that this phenomenal transformation of the distant, seemingly cold-hearted Uchihas could have only been brought about by the one and only Uzumaki Naruto.

"Ino?"

Ino started out of her reverie, and turning around, the woman found herself drowning in two concerned swirling pools of cerulean. _Speak of the Devil._ The said 'Devil' was draped in a gorgeous dress that accentuated extremely well Naruto's two glittering sapphire eyes. Ino had never seen a more stunning beauty, and she doubted she ever would.

"Ino, are you okay? You've been standing there and biting your lip for the past five minutes." Naruto tilted her head to the side, worry lines etched in the middle of her forehead. The blonde placed her drink on the table and then crossed her arms. "Are you not feeling well?"

Ino smiled, touched by Naruto's compassion. This was actually her first one-on-one talk with Naruto – fateful stormy night not included – and Ino realized with a jolt that Naruto was rather of a small build; the blue-eyed blond-haired wonder was at least half a head or more shorter than Ino.

"N-no, I'm fine. I guess I was just spacing out." Ino furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you doing outside on the porch so far away from everyone? You know we've all been dying to talk to you."

Naruto laughed. "Apparently, I'm keeping a brooding woman company." The blonde winked at Ino and took a big swish of red wine from the cup she had just previously set down. "But seriously though," Naruto added, "I'm pretty surprised at how calmly you guys took the whole gender changing incident. I half expected everyone tonight to pester me with questions about this occurrence. I mean, I didn't really explain it well during the meeting."

The meeting.

Although this indeed was a welcome back party, it wasn't as if the partygoers hadn't met Naruto yet. No, Tsunade-sama, within the first few days of Naruto's release from the hospital, immediately sent summon scrolls to everyone part of the ANBU troops, notifying them of a must-attend-or-die assembly later on that day. Ino and Chouji, knowing full well just exactly what the meeting was going to be about, spent the first half of the day convincing everyone that no, no disaster had occurred, _no_, Earth Country has not attacked Konoha – yet – and no, Godaime-sama was not announcing her retirement. By the time the extremely important assembly had swung around, all ANBU squads were in place in the cramped conference room, conspiracies running through their minds as they grumbled quietly to themselves just what the hell could've been so important for all the ANBU to gather in such a chicken scramble manner – perhaps the Godaime _was_ getting too old?

But all ill feelings immediately were replaced by shock and disbelief as the ghost of Uzumaki Naruto stepped into the room.

After the situation was kindly explained by Tsunade – no, Naruto was not dead, _does she look dead to you idiots?_ and yes, Naruto is a girl… _just accept it you morons! -_ Naruto obediently took the spotlight and briefly enlightened everyone of the details similar to the ones she told Jiraiya and Tsunade in the hospital just a few days before. The meeting itself had been very formal and concise; after Naruto was done with her explanation, she answered only official questions that the Hokage asked, and once the interrogation was over, the blonde politely asked to be excused and Tsunade immediately obliged. An outrageously still shocked ANBU crowd was left in her wake.

_How come they couldn't talk to Naruto?_

Thus something had to be done. The whole shinobi crowd had thought, for seven long painful years, that their beloved comrade was dead, and when that belief proved to be wrong, everyone was overjoyed. That joy, nonetheless, did not last long, for it quickly turned to dismay when it became apparent that Naruto planned to spend morning, noon, and evening in the privacy of the Uchiha compound. A week became two. Two weeks became three. Although everybody noted the drastic changes in Kaira, Ryūshiro, and Itachi, the only three Uchihas who ever left the Manor, the person whom the Konoha shinobis really wanted to see was that ray of sunshine who they knew was hiding behind that horrible, obstructive stormy cloud of an Uchiha Manor. Finally, three full weeks had dragged by, Ino hesitantly asked Itachi before an ANBU meeting if Naruto would agree to a "welcome back" party. The next day, Ino felt a gentle rap on her shoulder and got a quietly whispered "Yes, she would like that." Immediately the preparations began, and now, a week later, standing right before Ino herself, was said sunshine.

"Your business is yours to share," Ino said quietly. She saw how quickly Naruto had downed the cup of red wine, and Ino knew Naruto was edgy. Scared even, to be back home again in Konoha. "We just want to you show you how much we've missed you."

"Yeah, I've been busy," came the hasty excuse. "I'm remodeling the Uchiha Compound."

"It's fine, Naruto. Like I said, it's your business. We're not mad, just happy you're back."

Cerulean eyes widened slightly before composure veiled the orbs again. "Thank you, Ino. For this. For everything." Gratitude lined Naruto's voice.

Ino merely smiled back at Naruto. There was a strange silence between the two.

Naruto watched Ino from the corner of her eye. Truth be told, as soon as Naruto had stepped into the household and laid eyes on Ino's twins, Naruto knew that Ino was keeping a deep dark secret. A secret that was all too related to Naruto herself. A secret that Naruto could only blame herself for.

So, after making conversation with literally everyone who had attended the party – Naruto had actually enjoyed the talks, for she too had missed her nakama dearly – the blonde followed Ino out to the backyard. She waited five minutes before interrupting Ino's daydreaming, and from the two or so minutes of exchange, Naruto knew the real reason why Ino had hosted the party. And there was no running away from it anymore.

"Ino?"

Ino glanced at Naruto. There was an inflection to the blonde's voice that Ino couldn't identify. "Yes Naruto?"

"You're not in love with Sai."

A small gasp escaped Ino's lips at Naruto's blunt statement. Ino's eyes darted back and forth, unable to meet the piercing ceruleans. The woman's body had suddenly become as stiff as a board, and her lower lip began to tremble.

Naruto felt guilt well up in her chest as soon as she saw how disturbed Ino suddenly became. "Ino, talk to me, please."

Ino's grip on her glass tightened, making her hand turn stark white. "Why would you say that?" The question came out like a statement, devoid of emotion and intonation. It tore at Naruto's heart.

"Your kids, Ino."

"What about them?"

"They have brown hair." Naruto hated the horrified look on Ino's face as she whispered out the undeniable truth. "Your hair's pale blond and Sai's is black. There's no way your twins would have brown hair. Not if Sai had fathered them."

The sound of glass shattering against the stone floor was heard, and Ino swayed against the spot where she stood. Instantly Naruto was by Ino's side, and she guided Ino to a nearby chair and gently seated the staggered woman. Ino had a forlorn expression on her face, like someone who suddenly remembered a previously repressed traumatic experience. But other than that, no emotion could be discerned from the woman's strange expression.

Naruto shook Ino's shoulder slightly, guilt and pain ripping away at her chest. "Ino, Ino, please stay with me! Ino!"

Ino, whose eyes had been blanking staring into space, now directed her vacant gaze to Naruto. Ino's body started trembling again, and tears tricked down her face as well.

"How is he?"

"I don't know." The harsh words hung in the air, and Naruto choked back a sob. "I'm so sorry, Ino. I don't know where Shikamaru is. If I did, I would be chasing after him. After _them._ I wouldn't stop until I got every single one of them back. You know that."

Slowly, Ino buried her face in her hands. Silent, seizure-like sobs wracked at the woman's body, and it took Naruto every ounce of strength to not break into pieces as she helplessly watched Ino's emotional and mental breakdown. Naruto held Ino tightly in an embrace, but the pain that radiated from every pore in Ino's body suffocated Naruto.

"Shh… shh…" Naruto soothed, trying hard to make sure her voice didn't waver or crack. "Everything will be all right. They'll come back soon. Those men can take care of themselves, no problem. Don't worry. Shikamaru – " Her voice broke. "Sh-Shikamaru will be home soon."

Ino took a deep, shaky breath. She called on all her training as a shinobi to control herself, and slowly but surely she felt the world come to a stop, and her mind cleared. Ino smiled unevenly at the worried blonde that was seated anxiously next to her.

"It's okay, Naruto. I'm fine. I think… I think I just needed to hear it, from your mouth. Or else I would've never let him go."

Naruto couldn't believe her ears. "Ino, he's not dead! Oh please, don't erase him from your heart now. Not after all this time!"

The small sad smile on Ino's face broke Naruto's heart. "My children need a father, Naruto."

"Do they know?"

"They're not stupid." Ino closed her eyes resignedly. "Their father's hair color wasn't the only thing they inherited."

"But they don't know who he is. Or his name, for that matter."

"No." A pause. "They never directly confronted me about it."

"He's still alive, Ino! I know it."

Ino opened her eyes. Her voice was weary and despondent. "It's time, Naruto. There's no use in hopelessly chasing after the past. Not when it's obviously fucking over my future."

Ino's words rang loud and clear in Naruto's mind. A sudden flash of midnight locks, pale skin, and swirling Sharingan eyes blinded her vision.

The blonde inaudibly gasped, and her head spun. After all those years of repressing _those_ memories, after all those years of forcibly forgetting them from her heart, such a statement from Ino had so easily penetrated her barrier and evoked that image back to the surface.

Naruto now realized the basis of Ino's decision. It was the same decision that she herself had made twelve years ago. To Ino, Shikamaru was everything she wanted and everything she couldn't have. A bleak situation that Naruto only knew so well.

"I understand, Ino."

Relief flooded into Ino's eyes at Naruto's supportive words. "You don't think I'm being cold-hearted? Finally letting him… go? Forgetting him just like that?"

"No." Naruto smiled a small smile. "You gotta do what you gotta do. He'll understand. It's for the best. For everyone. You, your kids, Shikamaru… Sai."

A pause. "Sai's a good man."

"I know he is. Otherwise he wouldn't have moved in with you and the kids."

Ino sighed. "He saw how hard things became for me when my belly began to swell. I had two kids growing in my stomach, not just one. And being a single mother… He didn't even ask who the father was. Just moved in. Just like that. And on top of it all, simply so I wouldn't be flamed by the gossip that I thought was sure to come, he told everyone he was the father. That we had been together for years." Tears welled in Ino's eyes. "I owe him so much, but the whole seven years, I've never loved him. Not like that. Not like the way I loved Shikamaru."

Naruto placed a gentle hand on Ino's shoulder. "He understands, Ino. All he wants is for you to be happy and safe. That's enough for him. I could tell when I talked to him today." Naruto smiled a wry grin. "Though he's still as socially gauche as he was before I left. He even had the nerve to call me 'dickless,' only this time he said he meant it for real."

Ino laughed quietly. "That sounds like Sai, all right. Luckily for him, he stopped calling me hag years ago. Otherwise who knows how many injuries he'd have. We wouldn't have been able to afford the hospital bill."

Naruto grinned at the thought. "I'll bet."

Ino wiped away at her tears. "Thank you, Naruto. I haven't felt so lighthearted in a long, long time." The woman grinned. "Who would've known that Uzumaki Naruto was an even better therapist as a woman?"

Naruto laughed. "Of course. Women are natural psychiatrists." The blue eyes twinkled. "Combine that with Uzumaki Naruto, and you have your world-healing wonder."

"I certainly saw that in the Uchiha kids. Kaira's done a 180 degree turn. She gives the upperclassmen teams a run for their money."

"From what Kaira tells me, your kids are the brightest in all of Konoha."

A dry smile from Ino. "It drives me insane. Especially when a seven year old boy and girl are telling their own mother what to do in managing the bills. Or in teaching them a new jutsu."

"I can see that," Naruto chuckled. She had met Yuuta and Mana, the twin geniuses, a few hours earlier. Yuuta had inherited his mother's tenacity while Mana her father's laziness, but both were infuriatingly intelligent in all aspects.

"But I don't just mean the Uchiha kids," stated Ino, interrupting Naruto's musing. Ino's gaze turned pensive. "You and Itachi seem to be hitting it off well."

Naruto flinched. "It's not like that," she muttered. Ino's misunderstanding made Naruto feel edgy for some reason, as if she were cheating on S – _Kiba_. Her mind did _not_ almost just make that fatal slip.

Ino wasn't convinced. She took Naruto's fidgeting as a sign that the blonde was lying. "Explain."

Naruto sighed. She knew she had to have this conversation sometime; the sooner the better, right?

"Itachi and I are both hurting, so we take comfort in each other's presence. We're not lovers. He's more of a brother to me. Nothing close to what you were thinking." A pause. "So if you would do me a favor, Ino, tell all those idiots to stop gossiping. I've never slept with the man, and I never will."

Ino grinned. "I'll make sure to pass on the word, Naruto."

Naruto flashed Ino a wide smile before a serious look came to the blonde's face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you know… about Sakura?"

Ino visibly stiffened.

Naruto frowned and she touched Ino's arm apologetically. "Look, I'm sorry if it's a touchy subject – no, I _know _it's a touchy subject – but now that Momo and Shiro are growing up at such a rapid rate, Momo especially, I'm thinking they need their mother back. Their real mother."

Ino flatly answered, "You're their mother now, Naruto."

Naruto narrowed her eyes. "Ino, you know that's not Sakura." There was no response from the other woman, but Naruto did not give up. "Ino, the Sakura we know hated liquor. She never would've… never would've done those terrible things. Not if she was in her right mind."

Ino looked up sharply at Naruto's last sentence, and the woman was beginning to understand what Naruto was driving it.

"Well…" Ino said slowly. "It's true that after Sakura moved into the Uchiha Estate, after she and Sasuke got married, Sakura began to show signs that she was starting to unwind mentally." Ino sighed. "But we all just thought it was because Sasuke didn't love her. It was obvious. He never treated her _badly_ – not in public, at least – but the coldness from him… She must've not been able to handle it. We didn't blame her. She had always been crazily in love with him ever since we were children. Luckily I outgrew my childish crush. She never did."

Naruto sighed. Well, there was the solid truth, undeniable and irrefutable. "How is she now? Hinata and Sakura didn't make it to the party, I noticed."

"Hinata's taking care of Sakura. She's… fairing better." Ino's voice was bitter. "At least she's willingly eating now. But you can't mention the name Uchiha or anything related to it; otherwise she goes berserk."

"Does she really… hate her children?"

Ino stilled, and she stayed quiet for a moment. Then, deflating and saying in an acquiescent manner, "No. She hates herself."

"Oh."

"Maybe you should talk to her. The world-healing wonder, right?" Ino got a lopsided smile from the blonde. "Well, you never know. It's worth a shot. I do recommend you wait a little longer though. She's still not stable. But for now, we should join the party. We've been gone too long."

Naruto concurred and she stood up with Ino, hooking arms with the woman.

"Hey, Ino?"

"What?"

"Everything's going to be okay."

Ino smiled and wiped at the last of her tears. "I know. You're home now."

Home. The word rang in Naruto's ears.

Yes. It was good to be home.

**XXX**

A few hours later, the partygoers waved goodbye to Naruto as the blonde, for the umpteeth time, thanked everyone for coming and finally stepped out the door. Itachi, who held Ryūshiro in one arm and Kaira in the other – both children sleeping soundly – followed Naruto, who had a snoring Momo on her shoulder. The two shinobi struck the partygoers as an adorable family, but everyone kept their thoughts to themselves. After a few promises from Naruto – all of them consisting with the pledge that she would visit them as soon as she was done with her Uchiha Complex remodeling – Naruto and Itachi disappeared into the night. The partygoers were soon to follow, and after a while, it was just Ino and Sai in the room.

"Sai…" Ino began.

Sai smiled one of those fake smiles that had become his trademark over these years. But genuine affection shown in his eyes. "It's fine, Ino. I saw you and Naruto-kun talking, and I assumed what you two were talking about. There's no need for explanations."

Tears filled Ino's eyes for the third time that day. "Thank you, Sai." She hugged the man who had, in a sense, saved her life. "Thank you."

**XXX**

* * *

SASUKE RETURNS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.

REVIEW FOR MOTIVATION :)


	5. Chapter 4: His Return

Here it is! the long awaited chapter!

onii-chan: big brother

ne: hey

* * *

**Chapter 4: His Return**

* * *

Naruto sighed. She knocked hesitantly on the door that was blatantly in front of her face. At the quiet "C'mon in, Naruto" she pushed aside the door and stepped inside. Uchiha Itachi was lying on his futon, his head propped up by a large pillow and an open book in his lap. His eyes however, were not directed at the book but at the blonde who now fidgeted uneasily in the doorway of his room.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Naruto?"

"Um…"

"It's late."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah I'm sorry. I should just…" The blonde turned to leave.

"Naruto."

Naruto froze at the inflection in Itachi's voice before giving in to her anxieties. She ran over to the older man's side and allowed herself to be pulled into his warm embrace. The Uchiha stroked Naruto's golden hair and kissed her soothingly on her whiskered cheek. He continued to pet her head until her trembling ceased.

Naruto took in a jagged breath when she had calmed down. "I'm sorry. I had a nightmare." She smiled ruefully. "Look at me, twenty-five years old, and still having nightmares."

Itachi stayed quiet. Then, shifting Naruto so they were now staring at each other face to face, the man asked firmly, "Is this because you found out that Sasuke is coming back?"

Naruto's flinch confirmed Itachi's question.

"Naruto," he said.

"I'm scared, Itachi."

Itachi felt his heart break as two terrified orbs of blue stared into his soul. His arms instinctively tightened, and he brought her closer to his chest. "Naruto, I promise everything will turn out fine."

"I know I'm being irrational." The blonde took a long shaky breath before smiling bravely. The smile, however, never reached her eyes. "I just - I really need your company for tonight."

The Uchiha placed a loving hand on the top of her head. "I'm here."

"I know." Naruto comfortably nuzzled her head into the crook of Itachi's neck and consequently closed her eyes. "I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Itachi."

"Good night, Naruto."

Looking down at the sleeping golden angel on his chest, Itachi realized there was no way he could read now, and so, pulling up the blankets around both of them and setting the book aside, he turned off the lights and let his mind wander in the darkness.

Sasuke was finally returning from his mission.

He had sent the letter regarding his return to the Godaime three days ago. The Hokage, for her part, told Sasuke's ANBU squad, which included Ino, who then went and blurted out the news to Naruto. Itachi had gone home that day to a petrified blonde waiting for him in his room. She had already tucked the kids to bed, and after waiting for him for way too long in the living room, she had moved to his room and sat on his bed, waiting desperately for him there. When he did arrive, she threw herself into his arms and consequently burst into tears. It took him forever to calm her down, partly because he lacked such comforting skills and mostly because she was so horribly shook up.

After he had gotten the waterworks to stop, Itachi realized his nightmare was far from over. For now that she was no longer sobbing her heart out, Naruto had started to rant about how, given the circumstances, she'd have to move out tomorrow, so would Itachi be ever so kind as to help her with the moving?

Itachi had immediately felt all feeling leave him. He looked at blonde, not believing the words that came out of her mouth, before saying in the firmest, most Uchiha way he could, that _no_ he was most certainly not going to help her move out.

This resulted in a death glare from Naruto, and a loud, heated argument would've definitely started between the two – well, mostly Naruto – if Itachi had not mentioned two words.

"The kids."

Those two words did their magic and said blonde immediately deflated, all fight leaving her body. For although she had the heart to leave Itachi, there was no way she could leave those kids just like that. There was no way she could leave those kids who each possessed such a big portion of her heart. And there was no way she could leave those kids without a mother.

And indeed a mother she had become to them. Four months had passed by ever since Naruto walked in into their lives, and the four months had definitely left its mark.

Momo could now walk, run, jump, and even stand on water for a few minutes at time without a problem. Although the little girl was still blind, she was without a doubt an Uchiha genius and did not hesitate to use that trait to the uttermost of its ability. Itachi still remembered when he had come home early one day and found Naruto, Ryūshiro, and Kaira staring at his niece in wonder as the little girl picked herself up from the floor and began to maneuver around the house without bumping into any furniture, doors, or walls.

After discussing it at length with Naruto, Itachi and the blonde both came to the conclusion that Momo had already learned the primitive basis of chakra control and was using chakra to map out the floor beneath her feet. That theory was proven correct when Naruto placed Momo against the surface of the pond and within minutes a giggling Momo was standing on top of the water surface, swaying with the waves but never falling in. The only catch to this stunning show of remarkable ability was that Momo didn't possess a lot of chakra supply – for god sakes, she was only _two_ – and doing such things exhausted the poor girl.

And so Naruto banned these actions from Momo and tried to stop the girl from performing such actions – and including other impish things – whenever she could. But Momo was just as naughty as she was intelligent; it was lucky _Naruto_ had a lot of chakra supply, for she spent the entire day chasing after Momo and reprimanding the girl whenever she was caught guilty of mischievous doings. But Momo never listened, and things became worse when the little girl began to expand her vocabulary and grammar. Now, at age two years and seven months, Momo could say complete and intricate sentences that normal children her age would definitely have trouble pronouncing, never mind using.

Itachi's favorite phrase his niece used was, "Mama looks like she's about to burst another blood vessel, Uncle 'Tachi."

But no matter how often Naruto found herself within a millimeter of exploding, a loud laugh or giggle from Momo immediately quenched all fire, and well, the girl _was_ only two. Just because she was a prodigy didn't mean she wasn't a kid.

In all aspects that Momo was the devil, Ryūshiro was quite the opposite. He was often praised by Naruto to be the angel of her life, and although his mouth had yet to utter a sound, the love that shimmered so brightly in his eyes was to Naruto worth an infinite amount of words. Now that he was growing older – his fifth birthday just around the corner – it became obvious that he was the splitting image of his father. Itachi could see that every ounce of Ryūshiro's being was bit by bit a replica of his father's younger self, and Itachi supposed, for that reason, Ryūshiro was babied in the family. Not that Itachi and Naruto consciously tried to play favorites, but it was so natural for Itachi to slip and see a baby Sasuke in Ryūshiro's wake – a Sasuke that could've been. As for Naruto… Itachi could only assume that Naruto felt the same way.

When it came to school, Ryūshiro was the top of his class, number one in all categories like his father had been. The biggest difference between the two was that while Sasuke had a lack of social life – excluding the fan girls - Ryūshiro could not get away from the crowds, fan girls and friends included. Already, at age four, Ryūshiro had girls his age or older swooning over his looks, and the number of friends he had at the Academy could not be counted. Everybody wanted to know the affable angel, and no one could get enough as soon as they were inside his compelling bubble. Although Ryūshiro never talked with his mouth, the messages he got across with his eyes or his hands were understood and cherished by everyone.

But regardless of how many friends Ryūshiro made – and how many more still were waiting to meet him – only one person held his heart, and that person to this little Uchiha boy was no longer 'beloved goddess', but 'beloved mother'. This was definitely made clear two months ago by the picture he drew of her with the words "I love you Mommy" painstakingly written on the top of the page in his best handwriting. Naruto, tears streaming down her whiskered face, had immediately taken the boy into a crushing bear hug and stuck the paper against the refrigerator door where it was to stay, and stay it would for all eternity as far as Naruto's heart was concerned.

Kaira was the last one to call Naruto 'mother,' and the first time that word had escaped said Uchiha girl's lips had been an accident. For some reason, instead of 'sensei' or Naruto-neesan, 'Mama' had blurted out of Kaira's mouth. Itachi had been sitting in the room when that incident occurred, and he still remembered the shock – which quickly turned humor when Naruto turned around with mock annoyance etched in her cerulean depths and said grouchily, "What, Momo?" There was a brief silence as Naruto realized Momo was not in the room but was outside playing with her brother, and after locking eyes with an equally stunned Kaira, Naruto had squeaked out a rather high pitched, "Kaira?"

Ever since then Kaira never called Naruto 'sensei' or 'nee-san' again. Itachi couldn't have been happier; there was no other woman alive in this world that Itachi thought worthier to be Kaira's stepmother.

And Naruto could not have become Kaira's mother at a better time. Kaira, as a girl who entered puberty rather early, had found her legs dripping blood one day and was ready to burst into tears when Naruto found the Uchiha girl hiding in the bathroom and calmly explained – blue eyes twinkling with merriment – to Kaira that bleeding from the legs was normal for girls. Kaira, who had become an even better shinobi under the intense teaching of her father and Naruto, did not miss the humor in Naruto's eyes and was about to cry again at Naruto's insensitivity when Naruto soothed Kaira and assured the girl to believe it when Naruto said she understood exactly how much shock Kaira must've been going through right now; Naruto's first period hadn't been much of a pleasant stroll down the park either. Itachi had laughed quietly when Naruto told him of this story later on that night and he asked her if she really did have that big of a shock. Naruto had given him a tight smile in response and said, 'After fourteen years of thinking I was a male, it's hard to not find it nastily surprising. Every single month I'd have as big of a shock as I did the first time.' Itachi chuckled some more, which earned him a wincing punch to the shoulder. She certainly didn't hit like a girl.

Shortly after that, Naruto could be seen in the Konoha village shopping with Itachi's daughter. And after that first shopping trip, there was no doubt Naruto took up the 'mother' position in Kaira's life, and within a week Kaira was telling Naruto every mundane detail about her life, from the boys she had a crush on to the annoying kid in the corner who wouldn't leave her alone. The sudden closeness between Naruto and Kaira made Itachi uneasy at times, since often he felt like they were conspiring against _him_. But Naruto had only laughed when Itachi questioned her about it, leaving a very irate Uchiha man in her wake.

A small whimper from the blonde that was sound asleep in his arms pulled Itachi back to the present.

He sighed and gently stroked her hair until the frown she had on her face subsequently disappeared. He looked at her sleeping figure, so small, so forlorn, and the Uchiha then tiredly closed his eyes. For her to even think about leaving the kids, Sasuke's return must be more of a nightmare to her than anyone could imagine.

Anyone, of course, cept Uchiha Itachi.

He had deduced – no, he knew – that his baby brother and Naruto had been involved in a relationship one way or another. The only thing that Itachi didn't know – it also happened to be the most important thing regarding this matter – was what had happened between the two and what had Sasuke done that was deemed so unforgivable, even in Naruto's books. Itachi cursed as he instinctively knew the answer. But he didn't want to think his baby brother would ever make such a choice.

To choose power over a life with this woman…

Was his brother really that stupid? That he couldn't even see heaven being handed to him on a silver platter?

The look on Sasuke's face when he had heard of Naruto's death was forever etched into Itachi's memory. It was the look of a man burning in hell; the look of a man who lost his redemption; the look of a man who would never again find happiness in this world. And Itachi knew in that moment that he would do everything in his power to right his brother's life again.

Itachi blinked, coming to reality. When had his eyes gotten so moist?

A stir from the woman in Itachi's arms caught his attention, and the moisture in Itachi's eyes quickly collected and became tears. For here lay the angel who held the keys to his baby brother's salvation. After years of desperate prayers, it seemed like Sasuke was finally going to be released from his personal hell.

But then Itachi remembered the terror in Naruto's eyes when she had heard of Sasuke's return, and Itachi's heart gave another unpleasant lurch. Naruto had made it clear from the very beginning that the only reason she was 'willing' to meet Sasuke was out of her love for Itachi, not Sasuke. From what Itachi inferred, Sasuke had obviously deeply wounded Naruto, wounds that, even after so many years, had not healed. So was it right for Itachi to force Naruto to sacrifice herself once more for his little brother? Was it fair to ask Naruto to give herself up for the man who had already broken her heart once?

The many mistakes his little brother made in his lifetime were all brought upon himself by his own selfish actions.

The only mistake Naruto made was loving his little brother.

_So was it fair?_

Itachi fell asleep with a troubled frown haunting his face.

**XXX**

It was a pleasant afternoon in Konoha. The clouds rolled by happily against the summer sky, and a warm breeze stirred every once in a while. The trees were turning a lovely shade of orange, a tell tale sign that autumn was approaching. But all this was lost upon the ANBU ninja as he hurried jumped from tree top to tree top. If anyone had been looking, there was no doubt that the man was deeply disturbed.

And deeply disturbed he was. He had heard some gossip in the village that made his heart speed up and his mind whirl. For those idiot villagers had been talking about something that could not have been the truth. Because for one, his brother was not a – what did the villagers describe him as? – ah yes, a man with kind eyes and a gentle smile.

And second…

Here, his heart sped up once more.

Her name could not have been mentioned. He hadn't heard her name mentioned in five years. So they could not have been talking about her. There was no way.

But then, even he had no explanation as to why he was hurrying – sprinting even – towards the Uchiha Estate like there was no tomorrow. Jumbled thoughts flitted in and out of his mind. Was this the reason for Tsunade's strange behavior? Was this why she had excused him so quickly, and then cursed at him when he walked out the door? But then she would've told him, right? She would've said something.

He shook his head. He was not going to believe it until he saw it for himself. Until he saw her, flesh and blood and _alive_, he was not going to believe anything anyone told him. He couldn't, because if it all turned out to be a lie, there would be no hesitation this time to sink a kunai knife into his stomach. He had nothing to live for. Tsunade had given him Sakura's divorce papers right before he left. They were tucked neatly in his shirt, searing through his clothes and burning at his flesh with each passing second. His two children… Well his two children didn't need him. He didn't know how to be a good father; how could he even call himself a father to children born out of blackmail? Damn the Konoha Councilmen, who only saw the Sharingan bloodline limit as a weapon to be exploited. And damn that Sakura for falling for the oldest trick in the book. Their kids were better off without their parents, who didn't know how to love them and who most definitely did not love each other.

He abruptly came to a stop. The Uchiha Compound loomed ominously in front of him, and, releasing a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Uchiha Sasuke entered his house for the first time in half a year.

**XXX**

The first thing he realized was how warm and friendly the atmosphere in his home had become. There were flower vases, paintings, decorations, and furniture everywhere in sight. He did not remember such things when he had left for his S ranked mission five months earlier; instead there had been dust cluttering the corners and empty beer bottles – which he had deliberately ignored – all over the place. Thus it came as no surprise to him when he did not mind the addition of these new articles. In all actuality, he rather liked it. For it made it seem like an actual family lived here.

The man shook himself slightly – a dark look passing through his handsome face – before he quickly regained his composure. Who was he fooling. _What_ family? There was no family living here. At least, not the family he imagined. Not the family he wanted with… with _her._

A sudden shriek of laughter pierced through his brooding. He startled to reality, confusion gracing his regal features.

When was the last time he had heard laughter in his house?

_Never_.

"Shiro-niichan, Shiro-niichan, you can't catch me!" came the baby cry of a girl. More joyous laughter was heard, followed suit by the frantic sounds of someone desperately scrambling after something, presumably said girl.

The man was staggered. There were only two girls that lived in the Uchiha Manor, and the voice that he had just heard definitely did not belong to his brother's daughter. But…

His _own_ daughter? Momo? There was no way she could've learned to talk, let alone put words together into sentences in just five months. And what did she mean by Ryūshiro not being able to catch her? Wasn't she blind? A twinge of guilt poked at the man's conscience before he forced it down. _It wasn't his fault_.

His debate at whether that voice was indeed Momo's or not was put at rest by a second voice.

"Momo, Ryūshiro, stop that!" This voice undoubtedly belonged to Kaira. "You're giving me a headache." A pause. "Well, I _tried_, Shiro-kun. But you know your sister. The only one who can control her is Mama, and even Mama has a hard time at that."

Now his mind really was racing. Not only did Kaira confirm that it was indeed Momo who had spoken earlier, but Itachi's mistress was now living in the Uchiha Estate. After all, Kaira did say 'Mama,' didn't she?

"Mama! I want Mama!" came a loud gleeful shout, which he recognized this time to be his daughter's. He was bewildered. Had his own two children taken in Itachi's mistress to be their own mother? A pang of sadness ached at his heart. Did that mean Itachi had replaced Sasuke as his own children's father?

"Mama's not home yet, Momo," he heard Kaira say patiently. "She's out talking with Jiraiya-sama, remember?"

His stomach lurched unpleasantly, and the room suddenly seemed very cramped, suffocating the breath out of his chest.

"Mama! I. want. MAMA!" It was obvious to everyone that the little girl was not happy, and a tantrum was sure to ensue.

He heard Kaira sigh in exasperation. "All _right_. Why don't you go wait at the door? Mama's bound to be home soon."

And nothing could've prepared him for the events that followed. Before he could compose himself, before he could flash step out of the room and consequently disappear so that he could push seeing his children as far back as possible, the sounds of very small feet scrambling against the floor – which was quickly followed by two more pairs of feet – was heard, and the world stilled to a stop as he watched the shadow of a small child excitedly open the door that brought her face to face with him.

Momo stopped abruptly. She sensed the presence of another person in the room, but this man was not Itachi. She cocked her head to one side and aimed her gaze towards the direction of where the strange yet familiar man stood.

He felt his breath choke him as he saw his daughter for the first time in almost half a year. He could not believe his deceiving eyes but there she was, in direct line of his vision and standing in an array of confusion and puzzlement. There was no denying that she was Momo, for her emerald gaze was empty and blank and her small shape gave way to her young, infant age. But unlike what he remembered, there was no trace of fear in his daughter's face as she became aware of his presence. Instead curiosity shone brightly in her round, mischievous face, and what he could _not _understand was how she was able to stand and run around like that in her blind state and obviously not bump into the many things that obstructed her path.

Another figure stumbled into the room soon after Momo, and the man then found himself staring into the large and surprised eyes of his son, Uchiha Ryūshiro.

Panic rose in Ryūshiro's chest at the sight of his father, tall and intimidating. He felt himself being scrutinized by his father's cold, calculating gaze, and his mind screamed for his beloved mother to hurry and come home.

Momo, realizing her brother had now joined her, turned to the stunned Uchiha boy with a mystified expression.

"Ne, ne, Shiro-niichan," the little girl said, cocking her head to one side. She reached towards Ryūshiro's general direction and tugged on his arm – almost as if she could see him – and asked, "Who is he? Who is he, onii-chan? Is he Mama's friend?"

Before Ryūshiro could make a movement, Kaira stepped into the room. The man saw the pretty, bright clothes she wore and the way her silky black hair flowed behind her. Her face held now a spirited and cheerful look, but that look quickly turned to apprehension and dread as she took notice of him.

"S-Sasuke-san!" she exclaimed, surprise coloring her tone. She bowed immediately. "Y-you're home." Kaira winced as she realized she had just stated the obvious, something Uchihas in all their glory did not do.

Momo, oblivious – as a small toddler would – to all the tension in the room, was flabbergasted that no one was answering her questions. Spoiled like the princess that she was by her mother and uncle, Momo was not used to being ignored, especially not when she was so clearly interested in this new man in their house.

"WHO IS HE!" came the shriek that held way too much decibel to have come from such a small body. Momo stomped her feet for emphasis and began to cry, from anger or frustration, no one knew.

All three older Uchihas winced in unison as Momo's screeches filled the room. The man had never heard a shriller voice, and he gritted his teeth as his ears felt close to bleeding. Kaira saw the dark expression that was etched in her uncle's face, and she realized she had to do something before her moody uncle became angry. _If he wasn't already, _Kaira thought wryly as another shriek impaled the inhabitants of the room.

"Shh, shh," Kaira soothed, trying to hold down her baby cousin's flailing arms. She cast a dark look at Ryūshiro, who had yet to recover from his upsetting encounter with his father.

"Do something already, Shiro!" the oldest Uchiha heir hissed.

Ryūshiro blinked to reality, his eyes focusing as he came out of his stupor. Grimacing as he took in his sister's scrunched, wailing face, the boy performed a few hand signs with ease, and in a sudden puff, a little dog – obviously henged – wagged its tail in front of Momo. Momo momentarily reduced her bawling to hiccups and grabbed for the dog – Kaira watched in chagrin (why hadn't she thought of using genjutsu?) – and the baby girl cuddled her newfound toy against her chest happily.

No words could describe how Sasuke felt as he watched his son – the very son who used to tremble at every single harmless sound – so effortlessly perform a henge that was beyond his years, and the young child had done so without making a single sound. But before the man could grab ahold of his wits, Momo – the infant herself not any less of a prodigy than her brother – realized she had been tricked, and throwing the dog against the ground, where it disappeared with an indignant poof, the girl resumed her crying, this time with ten times more the audacity.

The three were about to let all hell loose as they covered their ears, and just when the last straw was within a millimeter of breaking, someone else's voice – none of the Uchihas had heard the newcomer's entrance, thanks to Momo – spoke up.

"Momo," the person said quietly. Momo immediately stopped her crying to stare towards the sound before she squealed joyfully as she recognized the owner of that voice. The baby clapped her hands together and rocked back and forth in excitement in Kaira's arms.

"Mama's back, Mama's back!" The girl cooed and smiled hugely before pointing a chubby hand towards the man who seemed to have turned to stone. "Who is he, Mama?"

There was a moment of silence.

"That, little baby, is your father."

The man's eyes opened wide in disbelief at the sound of her voice. His heart began to race, his blood pounded in his ears. All of a sudden, his mouth had become dry, and he felt like an explosion had just wiped everything in his mind away. Did he dare to look?

Cerulean clashed with onyx.

The whole room held its breath.

"Hello, Sasuke."

She was here. The golden ray of sunshine was back in his life again.

"Naruto."

* * *

Okay, so i've decided that the chapters are going to dramatically decrease in size from now on. Writing such long chapters exhausts me :(

Well, Sasuke's finally back! I wrote this chap from his point of view, but I dont know if I'll do that again anytime soon.

And helloooooo finals week!

yup, that means no updates for at least a week... or more.

Depends on your reviews! haha :) please review! thanks!


	6. Chapter 5: The Confrontation Part I

I'm really sorry about the cliffhangers.

XXX

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Confrontation (Part I)**

* * *

Naruto had spent a nicely weathered afternoon chatting with Ero Sennin. They strolled down a small trail in the forest and came upon an old training ground that Naruto instantly recognized to be the place where she often used to spar with the toad sage. He had taught her everything she wanted to learn and more – those many trips to the women spa definitely were forced upon Naruto – and both shinobi found it nostalgic to be in each other's company again.

Naruto smiled as she recalled Jiraiya's parting words.

"Brat?"

"Yeah?"

"Your father and mother would've been proud."

It was cliché, Naruto knew. But hell, it wasn't often that she got praises about her parents – not many people knew of her unique heritage in the first place – and so the blonde cherished every cliché moment she had whenever she could.

She had grinned back at the toad sage upon his gruff compliment. "Thanks, Jiraiya." And just like that, no further words needed, the two of them parted ways. It was in this nostalgic, lighthearted mood that Naruto arrived at the Uchiha Compound. She was almost skipping – whistling a tune even – as she stepped unto the front porch of the main house.

Only to suddenly feel dread ooze into her heart and freeze it to ice.

She had instantly felt the foreign – but at the same time, all too familiar – chakra signature. It took every ounce of her strength to not give in to her quaking fears and run away from that ghastly presence as fast as she could. The moment she had dreaded, the encounter she had hoped would never come, was now – quite literally – at her doorstep.

Only one thought raced through her mind - _she wasn't ready._

Naruto kept her forehead pressed against the front door, her breath coming in short, gulping gasps, trying to find the courage to step inside that room, to find the inner strength to face her demons. But she couldn't do it. No matter how hard she willed herself, her shaking legs would not move, her shaking hands would not slide the door open. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, and instinctively one quivering hand came to rest against her stomach.

She couldn't do it. There was no way she could walk into that room and face the man she had erased from her life. Naruto's mind spun. At least she tried, right? The fact that she was here, that she had allowed things to drag out for so long, was proof of that. A twinge of guilt spiked her chest. She wanted to be brave for Itachi, who had sacrificed a tenfold more than what was being asked of her now, and she _had _promised the man she would give it her best, but… _but she couldn't do it_. All those revolting, traumatizing memories were beginning to surface, and she was drowning – she couldn't breathe, couldn't see. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard Kyuubi's deafening, outraged scream, but the horrifying images that crowded her mind quickly replaced the fox demon's worried growls. She was slipping. Darkness crept into the corners of her mind, turning everything into a thick haze and obscuring her fading conscience. She felt her heart slowly come to a stop. No one could save her now, no one could pull her out of this hellhole…

Except.

Momo's offended cry pierced into Naruto's mind, scorching everything in its wake and purging the blonde back to reality. With a gasp Naruto felt her body restart; her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her quick short breaths began to even out. Another fierce shrill from Momo shattered the remnants of Naruto's ordeal, and the blonde straightened, this time determination blazing in her eyes.

Of course. Her children. How could she have forgotten her children? They must be even more terrified than she was, Ryūshiro especially – Naruto knew the mixed feelings Ryūshiro held towards his father – and she realized those three were all alone. Alone and trapped in the same room with that man.

They needed her. More than ever, those three Uchiha needed Naruto's presence, and here she was, caring only about her own well being. _Pathetic_. How could she even have the right to be called their mother?

And with such a mindset, Naruto took a deep breath – bracing herself for the worst – and slid open the front door, silently stepping into the room.

The first thing that grabbed Naruto's attention alleviated her queasy stomach immediately and made her lips curve into a small, gentle smile. Her eyes slightly twinkled as she took in the comical sight. Momo, living up to her infamous impish nature, was kicking and flailing in Kaira's arms, and the screeches coming out of her little mouth could've put a harpy to shame. Ryūshiro, a ridiculous panicked look stamped across his angelic face, was trying his hardest to keep Momo's thrashing appendages out of Kaira's face; the last thing he wanted was _two_ pissed off girls in the house. And as for Kaira… it was obvious that Kaira did not want to be anywhere near Momo when the man standing across the room blew up, as if the jumpy looks she threw in his general direction weren't a clear indication of her inner mind.

Naruto decided the kids had suffered enough already and that it was time to relieve the two of the monstrosity they held in their hands.

"Momo," the blonde said softly.

Momo immediately ceased her crying at the sound of Naruto's voice, and the baby turned her head towards where Naruto's voice had resonated. The blonde felt her heart swell with love at the look of pure joy and ecstasy that suddenly shone from Momo's cherub face as the baby realized her mother's return. Out of the corner of her eye, Naruto saw relief, gratitude, and love shine from the eyes of Ryūshiro and Kaira as well, and she couldn't take it anymore. Her heart was near about to burst at the sudden barrage of warmth and happiness that threatened to overwhelm her soul.

Of course. These three were the reason why she hadn't run away. These three were the reason why, no matter how much pain and suffering awaited, she would always come back.

"Mama's back! Mama's back!" Momo shrieked excitedly, breaking Naruto's trance. Not missing a beat, the baby immediately pointed across the room and asked adamantly, "Who is he, Mama?"

_Who is he?_

The answer to that question was one that elicited an onslaught of raw, crippling emotions from Naruto. But – almost mechanically – the blonde directed her dazed gaze towards the direction of Momo's pointed finger, towards the other side of the room. She didn't know what to expect, didn't know if her body could handle another mental breakdown that was sure to come. But at least she was certain that she didn't want to run away anymore.

Her vision cleared, and the Uchiha man came into view.

He was dressed in full ANBU attire, save for the mask, and she realized he had arrived shortly before she did; he had not the time to change yet and there were still splatters of blood on his clothes. Naruto found herself absentmindedly wondering if the blood that colored his clothing was his own, but she quickly dispelled the idea. _Why did she care?_ The blonde then noticed how rigid his body seemed, as if he were surprised at her sudden intrusion – _ha_, laugh out loud – and her scrutinizing fell upon his toned and pronounced muscles.

_Looks like he's trained excessively during the past few years, _she thought dryly.

Next, taking in the full stature of the man, Naruto remembered just how tall he was, and she knew, from countless experience, that if she stood in front of him right now, the top of her head would barely graze the tip of his nose. She had always needed to tilt her head back in order to glare at him in the eyes and –

_Well_. She certainly couldn't see his eyes right now. Instead, his midnight locks, which looked more disheveled than usual – the spikes on the back of his head sticking up in crazy disarray – covered half his face. A face that Naruto remembered to be too devilishly handsome and godly for its own good. _For Naruto's own good._

And if she didn't know any better, Naruto would've guessed that the man standing across the room was trying his best to not look in her direction, but – Naruto inwardly laughed a dry, mocking laugh – why would the bastard do such a thing like that? He didn't care about her. He didn't care about anyone.

Anyone but himself.

Yet even so, Naruto found herself aching for that head to turn around, for that face to look at her in the same way she was looking at him now – desperate and beseeching. She wanted to see him – to _truly_ see him: his eyes, his face, his lips – and this animalistic want, with each passing moment, was becoming harder and harder for Naruto to control. Nine long years had passed since she had last captured this man's godly, regal, handsome face in her eyes, and the need to see him had only intensified over the years.

"That, little baby, is your father."

Was that really her voice, speaking out loud? The flat statement sounded strange and disconnected to her ears. How could she have answered her little Momo in such a calm and impassive tone, when in all reality, she was falling to pieces? Maybe… maybe she was confused; maybe she had never actually spoken. Maybe it was just her mind playing dumb tricks on her and –

The slow turn of the man's head towards Naruto dismissed her of any convictions that she was hallucinating. For this man had heard her, and he was now turning to finally acknowledge her presence.

She suddenly felt herself pinned to where she stood by two pools of midnight black. The unblinking eyes pierced through her, through her soul, and she was drowning again, except this time the cause of her death was going to be the stare of those onyx eyes – those beautiful eyes that didn't belong to just someone she had once known, but to someone she had once loved with all her body, heart, and soul.

"Hello, Sasuke." She was astounded to hear that her voice didn't give way to the maelstrom of emotions conflicting within her.

Midnight eyes widened for the shortest of moments before composure regained its reign.

"Naruto."

**XXX**

The tension in the room was suddenly thick enough to be cut with a knife. Without a doubt, something was amiss. Kaira and Ryūshiro had both felt the temperature in the room drop twenty degrees below zero the instant their mother and the Uchiha made eye contact, but what the two kids could not fathom was that fact that all iciness was emanating from _Naruto_.

This could not be. This whole situation could not have been happening, because, _well_, for god's sakes, this was their _mother_! The woman who had always scolded them for having one too many a frown on their faces; the woman who had always greeted strangers – even creepers – with a bright, cheery smile on her face; the woman who had never, _ever_ welcomed someone into the house with so simple, so cold a salutation as "Hello."

And so Kaira and Ryūshiro were quite bewildered – and deeply troubled – as they stared with eyes as big as saucers at the blond woman who stood stiffly in front of the doorway. One long, uncomfortable second – a second of which seemed like eternity past and eternity more to the inhabitants of the room – dragged by. Finally Kaira, the poor girl not being able to bear the tension for a moment longer, opened her mouth to say something – anything! – but luckily for her, someone else – a certain girl who so happened to be immune to any type of awkward sentiment – beat her to it.

"Mama bought me cookies!" Momo shrieked as her little nose caught scent of the bakeries that Naruto had set next to the door. "Hooray!"

And just like that, the tension in the room dissipated. Or at least, so thought Ryūshiro and Kaira.

Naruto squatted and grinned at the baby that had suddenly bulldozed straight into her outstretched arms. The blonde woman tantalizingly held the bakeries just out of Momo's reach, and blue eyes twinkled as the little girl pouted.

"Mama!" Momo whined. Her emerald eyes seemed awfully focused for a blind girl, and there was no denying that the two-year-old had already gotten down the notorious Uchiha glare. Prodigy indeed.

"Baby girl, you know you're on a diet," Naruto scolded – or at least tried to. It was hard to be stern when she was having such a difficult time controlling her laughter. But Momo's indignant and wounded face upon Naruto's 'harsh' reprimand proved too much for the woman, and the blonde subsequently burst into hysterics. Momo was horrified at her mother's apparent inconsiderateness.

"Mama, I am not fat!" The girl's stubborn rebuff came complete with a foot stomp for emphasis.

"No, no, of course not," Naruto assured the suddenly self-conscious girl. "You're just pleasantly plump, Momo."

Kaira now broke into the conversation, rolling her pretty brown eyes in exasperation. Upon Naruto's brief conversation with Momo, Kaira was reassured that Naruto was back to her normal self, and so the Uchiha girl leaned casually against the wall. _Everything was okay._

"That's what Chouji-san calls himself, Mother."

"Oh?" Naruto teased, her eyebrows raised. "You calling him out on that, sweetheart? You know he won't be happy to hear you questioning his beliefs."

A snort from Kaira. "Ino-sensei will protect me."

"Not if he gets to you first."

"Then you will, Mother."

Naruto opened her mouth to retort before subsequently closing it, stunned. She had nothing to say in response to Kaira's confident answer. All three Uchiha knew – and they knew without any qualm or hesitation – that if any one of them were in danger, nothing and no one would be able to stop Naruto from coming to their rescue and brutally ripping their offender to shreds. Naruto herself could not refute such an accusation, and so she did not object to Kaira's statement.

The expression on Kaira's face looked way too infuriating to merely be an innocent smile – it resembled quite well the smirk that often appeared on her father's face – and Naruto was just about to tell the girl so when the blonde woman felt a shy tug on her sleeve. Glancing down at the gentle pull, Naruto found herself staring into the angelic face of her beloved Uchiha boy.

"Why hello to you, angel," the blonde cooed lovingly before cupping one cherub cheek in one hand and kissing the other rosy cheek in return. "I didn't hear you make your way over here, Shiro." The little boy gave her a sweet, endearing smile, and one small hand came up to hold his mother's hand.

Naruto wondered if it was possible to always feel this rush of adoration every time she laid eyes on her baby boy.

"You've been practicing."

An enthusiastic nod. Ryūshiro took both his hands and raised them high over his head.

"A lot?" Another bobble of the head. Naruto laughed and embraced the small boy warmly. "You know your uncle wanted you to learn your fire genjutsu first before you learned any of my techniques." Blue eyes twinkled. "After all, your name _is_ 'Uchiha.' But I guess Uzumaki suits you too."

Now Ryūshiro was shaking his head furiously, as if Naruto had said something terribly wrong. Naruto furrowed her eyebrows, wondering where her mistake was, before she gasped.

"You've already learned it?"

An excited, happy nod.

The blonde couldn't believe it. "But honey, your uncle showed you that move just four days ago! And I've never had the time to practice with you!"

"It was his little secret." Kaira had spoken up for the voiceless Ryūshiro, who looked like he was about to get a hemorrhage from trying to figure out how to get his silent message across to Naruto. "He wanted to surprise you, so I helped him instead."

Naruto blinked, still reeling from this shocking bit of news. "But you've been crazy busy, Kaira! Tsunade-baachan has been giving your Team C-ranked missions left and right!"

Kaira shrugged modestly, and Naruto's eyes softened at Kaira's show of nonchalance.

"I'm so very proud of you, sweetheart."

Kaira's face reddened at the compliment and, in her embarrassment, she quickly mumbled, "Well it didn't take Shiro long to learn it in the first place."

"I bet." Naruto had turned her attention back to Ryūshiro and was now grinning proudly at the small Uchiha. "My little boy's the smartest kid in the world, isn't that right?"

Ryūshiro flushed with pleasure at Naruto's praise. Even the tips of his ears were soon tinged pinked. He tugged urgently on Naruto's hand, his charming chubby face furrowed in a beseeching expression. Naruto blinked once before her face almost split in half at the huge grin suddenly on her face.

"You want to show me?"

Eager nod.

Naruto opened her mouth to reply when Momo, who had become very sour faced when all attention was no longer on her, finally exploded, discontent coloring her shrill tone.

"Mama!"

Naruto turned to the sulking baby, eyebrows raised half in mirth and half in exasperation. The blonde knew how much she – and Itachi too – spoiled the girl, but it was hard not to, seeing how joy seemed to just bubble out of Momo's mouth. Whenever Momo was happy, the entire household was in bliss. Whenever Momo was unsatisfied, the rest of the family suffered along. This baby girl, essentially, was the mood of the Uchiha Compound, and so it was not really Naruto's fault that she spoiled the girl so.

Or at least, that was what Naruto tried to tell herself.

Nonetheless, as much as the blonde loved the little girl, one glance at the pouting baby and Naruto's face immediately adopted a look of horror.

"Momo, _how many cookies did you eat_?"

Indeed, Momo held the bakery bag in one hand and had a large oatmeal cookie in the other. Crumbs stuck to the little girl's mouth, and it was obvious to all that the bulging bag was now essentially empty.

Momo, noting the deep growl in Naruto's voice, scrunched up her face into a stubborn pout.

"I ate five."

"Momo. I bought ten."

"Then I ate five."

"There are none left in the bag."

"Yes there is, Mama. There's one."

"Exactly," came the annoyed rumble, "there's o – "

"But you said there was none, Mama!"

The baby Uchiha, using only the intelligence that was bestowed upon her by her heritage, had seen a way out of this quagmire. Momo's blind emerald eyes seemed to glitter with glee.

"You said there was none in the bag when there was one left, which means Mama can't count!"

Naruto paused, stunned at Momo's sudden accusation. "Wh-what?"

"Mama must've counted wrong from the beginning!" Momo smiled her most winsome smile. "Mama must've gotten six cookies instead of ten! Cuz Mama can't count!"

Kaira laughed at Momo's accusation, shaking her head at her baby cousin's apparent audacity and brilliance.

"You have to give it to her, Mother," the Uchiha girl snorted out. "I can definitely see the logic in her argument."

"I see no logic!" Naruto growled out, glaring at Kaira. But all children saw that there was no bite to their mother's bark, and Momo visibly relaxed. _Safe._

"Mama?"

"What."

"I love you."

Naruto blinked once before her face softened, all irritation forgotten. The blonde knew she was such a pushover, but the happiness and trust that radiated from two-year-old Momo was enough to bring tears to Naruto's eyes.

"I love you too, honey."

Momo smiled happily and jumped into Naruto's embrace. The girl kissed Ryūshiro's cheek – he had been quietly holding Naruto's hand the whole time – and then kissed Naruto's. Holding the almost empty bag of cookies up, the little baby turned to the man who stood stonily in the other corner of the room.

"Does Daddy want the last cookie?"

Kaira and Ryūshiro both tensed at Momo's ignorant question. Their eyes flew to glance edgily at their mother's face, trying to gauge her reaction. But no hostile emotions passed through Naruto's face, and instead the blonde woman smiled fondly at Momo before kissing the baby on her forehead.

"Your father just came back from a very tough mission, Momo," Naruto said softly after a long silence. "He can't eat sweets just yet."

"Oh. Okay then." Momo tipped her head to one side, confusion furrowing her small brow. "Mama?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Is Daddy like Ryūshiro?"

Here, Ryūshiro and Naruto both blinked at Momo while Kaira bit back a cough; confusion was drawn all over their faces. Naruto was stunned. _Could Momo see the resemblance between her father and her brother? Has her vision returned?_

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"Does Daddy not talk?"

_Oh. Never mind_.

"No, Momo, your daddy does talk. Remember when I first walked in?"

"But he ignored my question!"

"Maybe you just surprised him." Naruto ruffled Momo's hair and then kissed Ryūshiro. "Now I need to have a word with your father, so be a good girl and boy and go play with Kaira." Naruto looked up at Kaira, who was still leaning against the door. "Sorry Kaira, can you babysit these two until dinner?"

Kaira narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What do you need to talk to Sasuke-san about?" The Uchiha girl kept her gaze pointedly averted from her uncle, who still hadn't made a single movement or noise ever since he said her mother's name. Kaira, almost like a sixth sense, felt an impeding wake of doom, and she didn't like it one bit.

Naruto frowned at Kaira's uptight question. "I just need to talk to him about business. This is the first time he's met me as a babysitter."

"Mother." Kaira's voice had become cold and biting, the true impression of an Uchiha. "You are not our babysitter."

"Kaira…" Naruto sighed. "Don't make this difficult."

"But Mother – "

"_Please_." Naruto's voice sounded tired and worn out, and the three children immediately knew not to protest. There was only one time when their mother had use the same tone, and that was when Itachi had to be admitted to the hospital after a mission had gone wrong.

"Okay." Kaira walked towards Naruto before grabbing Ryūshiro and Momo's hands. "C'mon, Shiro and Momo, I'll take you out to the park. I think the ice cream ossan is there today."

Naruto smiled jadedly and stood up before taking Kaira in a huge hug. "Thank you, dear."

Kaira stayed silent, but her eyes swirled with worry and anxiety, giving away to her inner turmoil. Momo and Ryūshiro then each grabbed onto one of Naruto's leg.

"Mama?" Momo asked quietly.

"Yes, Momo?"

"Don't leave. I don't want Mama to leave."

Naruto bent down and kissed the baby's chubby cheeks. "Mama's not going to leave, sweet pea. I promise." The blonde then turned to Ryūshiro, who was trying his best to not cry. "And you too, Shiro-chan. Baby, I'm not going to leave, okay?" She kissed away his tears. "Come home in time for dinner. I'll be cooking my little angel's favorite food."

Kaira bit her lip before giving in to her insecurities and throwing two arms tightly around Naruto. The Uchiha felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes as well, and she hated the sickening trepidation in her stomach.

"Mom, I love you."

"I love you too, Kaira."

Kaira grabbed her two cousins' hands again. "C'mon. Mother has to talk to Uncle. Let's go." The oldest Uchiha smiled a confident smile at the two not yet convinced kids. "Mom's not going to leave. She promised."

Ryūshiro and Momo reluctantly obliged and followed Kaira out the door.

"Bye bye Mama!"

Naruto smiled. "See you later, Momo darling."

_Click_. The door had shut.

Naruto closed her eyes. She was in the same room as him. _Alone_. And strangely, she felt numb. Completely, blessedly numb. _I can do this._ She had promised those three that she wasn't going to be leaving, and damned it be if she didn't keep her promise.

"Naruto."

She opened her eyes and stared determinedly into two orbs of midnight.

"I heard you the first time, bastard."

**XXX**

* * *

Again, I repeat: I'm sorry about the cliffhangers.

Its just that when I have so much to type in one chapter, I get discouraged and I stop writing. So I have to split up my chapters. BUT their endings all happen to be cliffhangers. Believe me, I really do not do this on purpose!

Anyway the real business starts in the next chapter, so review for a quicker update! (maybe by this weekend :] or even by the end of today!) thank youuuu your reviews are my motivation!

ps. sakura's domestic violence will be explain in due course.

heart.


	7. Chapter 6: The Confrontation Part II

I know you guys have read this part before. But chapter 7 will be out soon!

XXX

* * *

**Chapter 6: Confrontation II**

* * *

Sasuke stared at the blonde who was now glaring coldly at him in front of the door. If it were possible, she was even more beautiful now than she was nine years ago.

She had a regal, graceful air about her as she held herself up. Her body, which was more toned and lithe than the last time he saw her, screamed raw splendor and strength. He could sense the plethora of chakra that swirled inside her and he had to suppress the shiver that passed through his body – it had been a long time since he had met an opponent with such immense power – and a part of him itched to spar with her.

But the other part of him, the bigger part, was focused not on her chakra but on her face. Her face that was the essence of loveliness. The red blush against her tan whiskered cheeks, the wary expression furrowed into her thin eyebrows, the distinct cerulean eyes that held such a sharp, penetrating look… A look that pierced straight through his heart. Sasuke felt his throat constrict. From shock, wariness, or grief, he didn't know.

"They told me you died."

He voice sounded so hoarse to his ears.

"They told you wrong. I'm alive."

She looked dead and apathetic. The only thing that gave way to Naruto's discomfort was her bright cerulean eyes, which were afflicted by a storm of conflicting emotions.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm the babysitter."

Sasuke felt a pinch of something he couldn't identify. "How long have you been living here?"

"Four months."

"How long are you staying? "

"I don't know." A strange inflection colored her tone.

"Narut – "

"I don't know," the woman repeated again. A dark look passed through her angelic face, and he noticed she had clenched her fingers into a tight fist. "Why do _you_ care?" The last word was said with a hint of subtle contempt.

Silence.

She had hurt him, she could feel it. She could feel the intensity of the awkwardness and discomfort that radiated from where he was standing, but strangely, she didn't care. Almost with a sadistic thrill, she realized that she _wanted_ him to be hurt.

_He deserved it._

"Naruto…"

She didn't answer, and Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Can we just – I mean, well… Can't you just – "

His voice died at the sudden look of hatred scorched into Naruto's face.

"Forget?" Naruto finished for him, narrowing her eyes and pulling her lips back into a fierce scowl. She had become furious at the simple question, and the snake of hatred that was coiled in her chest lashed out. The room suddenly became a phantasm of black and red, and pain, intense shooting sparks of pain, burst throughout her delirious body.

"You want me to _forget_ what you did?" she hissed in spite. "Do you think that's how life works, Sasuke? That the world revolves around you? That you can fuck the rest of us however you want, and when you wish for it, let bygones be bygones?"

Naruto laughed sharply, the sound eliciting goosebumps on Sasuke's arm. He could tell that she was within an inch of transforming into a human Kyuubi, but he felt no fear. Instead remorse and anguish blossomed in his chest, and he felt his knees go weak. And she must've seen the look of despair which briefly passed through his face for why else was there now a spark of sadistic satisfaction gleaming in her chilly demonic red eyes?

"I'm sorry." Sorrow burned in his throat.

There was a brief pause.

"Sorry's not enough," Naruto stated tersely. She willed her anger to dissipate, and she felt Kyuubi's chakra slowly recede. Weariness ached at her bones from her sudden outburst. She felt like she had run through hell and back. "Sorry will never be enough."

"I know."

"But I'll take it."

Sasuke directed shocked midnight eyes at the blonde. Could he… Did he dare to believe…

Naruto blew out a long breath.

"I made a promise to your brother that I will stay here and help... him. And I don't go back on my promises." Naruto became stiff. "Whether I like it or not, I'm stuck with you in the same house, Uchiha Sasuke."

He could not see where the conversation was headed.

"I don't want to be a bad influence on your kids," Naruto continued. "I've never told them we were 'acquaintances' in the past, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"What do you want?" he asked slowly.

"Leave me alone and I you."

Sasuke could not believe his ears. She really meant to…

"You're just gonna erase me from your heart just like that? Like we never knew each other?" He could not keep the disbelief from his voice.

"You've been erased years ago, Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said frostily. Her eyes were two blue chips of ice.

"Naruto –"

"You've become nothing to me, Sasuke, just like you wanted." The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Or are you going back on your words now?"

"I don't understand – "

"Sasuke, understand _this._" Her voice was akin to a dagger piercing his soul. "I wish you were dead."

Sasuke felt the blood that was pulsing through his veins freeze to ice. Her words seemed to be crashing down on him. The room became suffocating. A strange deadness took over his body, and peculiarly his pain ebbed. The coldness spread from the center of his being until it consumed his entire body, and although he felt disconnected from everything, at least the hurt was now gone.

"I told Itachi I would try to give you a second chance." She paused, then plowed on in the same ruthless manner. "But I realized as soon as I saw you. I can't. I hate you."

His heart was hardening into stone. Every breath taken felt like the stabbing of knives into his chest. The seconds passed by.

"Hn." Now Sasuke's voice had gotten as flat as Naruto's. Empty of emotion. Vacant, lifeless. The blonde scrutinized Sasuke. She had noticed the sudden change in his demeanor, and she realized that he was now, truly, an Uchiha. The emotional Sasuke was gone – obliterated in less than thirty seconds. _It paid sometimes to be an Uchiha_, Naruto thought wryly. _So easily rid of your emotions. No matter whom they concerned._

"Good," Naruto said grimly. "Don't worry. This Manor is huge. We don't have to get in each other's way. You're always on missions."

Sasuke knew the last comment was actually an accusation towards the amount of time and care he had put into his kids. Which, as they both knew, was zero.

"I'm not good with children," was his flat response.

"No." Naruto's voice had turned bitter. "No you're not." Pause. "I need to talk to you about business."

The Uchiha didn't bat an eyelid. He raised one brow, silently giving the blonde permission to proceed.

"It concerns Sakura." Naruto's lips became one taunt line, and she stared at the Uchiha with piercing eyes. "You need to make things right with her again. The kids can't live without their mother. _Biological_ mother," she added.

"We're getting divorced," he said tersely. _The fuck did she know_. He was impressed that Naruto's steady stare didn't waver at the news. Nor did it change its empty expression. "I have the papers."

"Running away from your problems doesn't actually make your problems disappear."

There was an underlying meaning behind her words, but Sasuke didn't care.

"I'll take care of my problems myself, idiot."

A muscle in Naruto's jaw twitched. "Calling me names? You are so mature, aren't you? I can see us getting along so nicely in the next few months."

"If it goes to your brilliant plan, we won't be seeing each other at all."

"Well said." Naruto's pokerface was back. "But you shouldn't deflect."

Sasuke slowly took out the divorce papers hidden behind his ANBU jacket and tossed it at the blonde, whose lightning fast reflexes deftly caught the documents. "She filed it."

Naruto quickly scanned the papers before confirming their validity. "Sakura's not mentally stable to be making such choices," the blonde countered.

Sasuke wondered if Naruto was actually attempting to save his marriage. "Her head cleared enough to sign this last week, the Godaime had told me."

"So you didn't get the papers from Sakura?"

"No. Tsunade."

"Did you visit Sakura?"

Sasuke raised a condescending eyebrow. "Are you really asking that question?"

There was no sign from Naruto that she had even noticed the revulsion in the Uchiha's voice. "Is she still at Hinata's?"

"I haven't heard otherwise."

"Are you going to sign it?" Naruto asked bluntly, inclining faintly at the papers in her hand.

Sasuke hesitated for the slightest of seconds. "I don't have a choice. It's a divorce document, not a counseling appointment, stupid."

Naruto didn't show any acknowledgment at the derogatory nickname. "You don't have to make everyone suffer along with you in your self-pity." Her voice was soft and listless, but her furious eyes said otherwise.

"It's just a divorce."

"Suppose they want to spend time with their mother?"

"I'm not stopping them from living with her," he retorted acerbically. _Fat chance they would._

Disgust was etched into Naruto's face. "Is this how you alleviate your guilt?"

"Again, none of your business, _usuratonkachi_."

That was the final straw for Naruto. The blonde brought the divorce papers she was holding crashing down on the glass dinner table. There was a loud, crushing blast that split throughout the room as her fist made contact. The glass shattered in an instant, shards of the table surface flying chaotically everywhere.

"_Eat shit, bastard." _

A flash of yellow, and she was gone. The divorce documents fluttered onto the ground in disarray.

Sasuke closed his eyes and let the tiredness wash over him. He brought a chair from the now demolished dinner table and slumped into it. He hadn't meant to call her those names – it was so incredibly inappropriate at the given time – but something about Naruto just made him… made him lose his cool. Sasuke was renowned for being able to keep his feelings in check, his emotions reined in, but Naruto had always so easily broken the barrier, over and over again.

_She doesn't even try._

The Uchiha became aware of a wetness in his eyes. Horrified at the thought of the shattered glass pieces having cut his eyes, Sasuke quickly wiped at his face before inspecting his fingers. But when the red telltale sign of blood wasn't smeared on his fingers, the man stared in confusion at his wet hands…

Then he realized that for the first time in years, he was crying.

_She doesn't understand…_

**XXX**

Fury raced through her veins as she flash stepped towards the ANBU headquarters. _The fucking nerve of him. How dare he call her those names. How dare he toy with her emotions like the manipulative bitch he was. He was lucky the table had been the only thing she broke. Fucking bastard._

The blonde skidded to a stop as she came face to face with an ANBU sentry guard. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realized she was already at the front doors of the building.

"Name?" the masked shinobi asked.

"Forget that," Naruto snapped. "I want Uchiha Itachi."

"What's your business?"

"You very well know I wouldn't be here to meddle with ANBU shit. I need Itachi!" Annoyance spiked Naruto's escalating temper.

"Orders are orders. Non ANBU members are not allowed in the building without Godaime's spoken or written permission." The masked ninja – Naruto knew without a doubt it was Shino by the way he reeked of bugs – tensed. "I will fight you if you resist."

"God fucking damn it, Shino. I'm going to murder you, you piece of – "

"What's going on here?"

Comfort flooded Naruto at the sound of that familiar voice, and she managed to dodge past Shino in his split moment of surprise. Naruto sprinted towards the man walking down the stairs. "Itachi," the blonde cried as she flung herself into the man's open arms. "Thank God."

And with those words, Naruto fainted.

Itachi grimly grabbed the unconscious blonde bridal style before turning to the very confused Shino. "Godaime has given me permission to leave my ANBU duties earlier than usual if presented with an emergency," the Uchiha said gently and yet still with an urgent tone. "You can check with Tsunade-sama if you wish."

Shino bowed. "No, Itachi-san. I believe you." He stepped to the side, allowing the Uchiha to pass. Hesitantly, the ANBU sentry touched Itachi's sleeve as the Uchiha walked by him. "Give Naruto-san my deepest apologies. And I hope she feels better soon."

Itachi smiled a small graceful smile at Shino. "I will. Thank you."

**XXX**

"Ita… Itachi?"

The Uchiha man, who had been sitting in the sofa chair across the room, staring stonily at the faded wallpaper designs, quickly got up at the sound of her voice and strode over to the bedside of the stirring blonde.

"Naruto." Relief colored the man's voice.

The blonde coughed. A cup of water was placed against her cracked lips, and she gratefully drank. The liquid refreshed her mind slightly, and the hazy room soon cleared. But she still didn't know where she was. "How… how long was I out?"

"Five hours." Itachi sought out Naruto's hand and squeezed it tightly. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry."

"You could've told me you couldn't sleep at night." There was a hint of anger in Itachi's voice.

Naruto lowered her eyes guiltily. "I went to your room that night I couldn't sleep, remember?"

"Naruto I'm not stupid." Itachi's eyes flashed for a split second. "I told you, I'm here for you."

"But I couldn't sleep ever since… ever since I heard of Sasuke's return," the blonde whispered, her lower lip trembling. "And I didn't want to startle the children. I'm sorry, Itachi. I know I should've told you."

The anger immediately deflated from the Uchiha. "It's not your fault." Itachi smiled wearily. "I'm sorry. I was worried."

"I know," Naruto sniffed. She then felt a surge of gratitude at a sudden realization. "Y-you didn't take me to the hospital."

"I know you don't want people talking."

"Thank you." She didn't know how to express her appreciation, but she knew he understood how she felt.

Itachi brushed away a stray strand of hair from Naruto's face. "I'm glad you woke up." A second's pause, then Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did he hurt you?"

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"Did my baby brother hurt you?" Itachi's voice had dropped to a near hiss, and his dark eyes were now two blackholes of apathy. Naruto – as confused as she was – shivered at the iciness emitting from Itachi, and she was so glad that his anger this time was not directed at her.

"I don't understand, what – "

"Your hand."

Blinking rapidly, Naruto turned to look at the hand Itachi wasn't holding. It was bandaged neatly, and now that Naruto had noticed it, the wound also stung slightly, but how did she… get… it…

"Oh."

"Naruto?"

She grimaced. "I'm sorry. I broke our dinner table."

"You – broke – our what?" Itachi's eyes widened the slightest. "You broke it?"

"I was angry," Naruto explained. She saw the ghost of disbelief in Itachi's face, and the blonde sighed. "Your brother made me angry."

"And… you broke our dinner table."

"Well it's not like I could break his neck."

Itachi took Naruto's shoulders and forced the blonde to look at him square in the eye. "Tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened! I met him, we had a heated exchange, and I lost my temper. That's all."

"Naruto."

"They're getting divorced," the blonde said.

"Sakura and Sasuke?"

"Yeah."

"She filed it?" Itachi asked succinctly.

"Yeah."

"But why did you get angry?" he pressed.

Naruto wouldn't meet Itachi's eyes. "I don't know. He just makes me angry." She paused. "I'm sorry." Another pause. "About our dinner table. I know you liked it."

"Never mind the dinner table, Naruto!" Itachi saw the blonde flinch, and he immediately backtracked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that." The Uchiha sighed and squeezed Naruto's hand. "Are you okay now?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"He didn't hurt you?"

Another small nod.

"Are you sure?"

Nod.

Itachi's face relaxed. "Are you hungry?"

The blonde was shocked. "What?"

"It's a simple question."

"No, I mean," Naruto said skeptically, "you're letting it go just like that?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Letting it go?" he quoted.

"Aren't you disappointed that your brother and I didn't make up?" she blurted out. Guilt was stamped all over her face. "I mean, I promised you and everything, and I let - I let you down."

"No." Itachi blinked. "I asked you to give him a chance. That's all I ever hoped for."

"So… so you're not… mad at me for it?" Naruto asked slowly.

"Naruto, I was mad because I was worried for your health," Itachi explained in exasperation. "Nothing else."

Tears gathered in Naruto's eyes again. "I don't have to try to fall in love with him?"

Itachi smiled. "At this point, I just want you to stay for the kids. For me. That's all."

"You ass!" Naruto punched Itachi before hugging him, her heart finally light and free of the burden she had been carrying. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You are so silly. I thought you knew."

Naruto suddenly shot up on the bed, her eyes wide with terror. "The kids! Oh my fucking God, it must be – "

"Relax," Itachi said with a hint of amusement. He was surprised it took her this long to remember the children. "They're at Ino's for a sleepover."

Naruto looked around in a panicked state of utter confusion. "And where are we?"

"A local hotel. I thought you might want to spend tonight away from – the Manor."

Naruto slumped back down onto her pillow, blowing out a big breath of relief. Her pounding heart slowed back to normal. The blonde noticed the smirk on Itachi's face, and she smiled sheepishly at the man. "What would I do without you, Itachi?"

Itachi smiled painfully. "You make me worry too much."

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "How'd you persuade the kids to go to Ino's anyway? They definitely knew something was wrong."

"I convinced them their mother and I needed to go on a very important date."

"A date?" Naruto repeated with criticism. "All the things you could've come up with and you said a date. It's already bad enough that they're hoping we're gonna get hitched."

"I didn't have a lot of room to improvise. I was trying my best to keep you stable."

"Stable?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"You were hallucinating." Itachi saw the confusion on Naruto's face, and he sighed. He had wished to keep this certain piece of information away from her. "You were… talking to Kiba."

"Oh..." Pause. "What – did I say?"

"You told him that… you missed him."

Naruto saw the look on Itachi's face, and she knew that she had said more than Itachi had let on. "Thank you," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome." There was a moment of awkward silence, and Itachi glanced towards the door. "I-I'll go see if there's anything you can eat." He made a motion as if to stand up, but Naruto's hand shot to his arm and held him down firmly. Slightly startled, the Uchiha stared at the blonde.

"Naruto…?"

"Are _you_ hungry?" she asked.

"Not really."

"I'm not either." Naruto then dragged Itachi down onto the bed with her. She snuggled into his neck and put one arm around his chest. "Stay."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You really need to get something to eat."

"Fuck that," she muttered, contentedly closing her eyes. "We get one night off from babysitting the kids. I want to relax."

Itachi ran his hand through Naruto's golden locks. "It doesn't take much time to eat."

"Too troublesome."

"You are such a guy."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, I have been a guy longer than I've been a girl. Keep doing that."

"Keep doing what?"

"What you were doing with your hand. Pulling it through my hair. It feels good."

Itachi combed his fingers through her long tresses, massaging her scalp in the process. To his amusement, a hum escaped the girl's lips. He continued his stroking, and before long Naruto was purring into the Uchiha's chest.

"You've never done this before, Naruto."

There was a long moment of silence. Her response took so long that Itachi almost thought the blonde had fallen asleep.

"No… No I haven't." A melancholy undertone marked her voice.

"Naruto…?"

"Nothing." The blonde hid her face into Itachi's neck. "Good night."

He knew better than to probe. The Uchiha grabbed the bed covers and pulled it up to Naruto's shoulders. "Good night, little one." He stroked her hair until she fell into a deep slumber.

**XXX**

"**She was not talking to Kiba." **The fox demon glared angrily at the Uchiha.

Itachi glanced around. He was standing in a river of red water – at least, he hoped it was water – and four brown walls surrounded him. Kyuubi loomed before him, tall and imposing, its nine tails thrashing impatiently.

"Where am I?"

"**We're in the conscious part of your mind,"** the demon growled. **"You're within close proximity to Naruto, so my chakra is able to enter into you."**

"So this is just genjutsu?"

"**Yes. Physically, I am still inside Naruto." **

"You've never done this before." Itachi's face stayed impassive. "I'm assuming you can only enter those who've gotten used to your demon chakra."

The demon snorted. **"As expected of an Uchiha. Your intelligence is commendable." **It snapped its jaws**. "Mortals are born with the fear of demon chakra, and that fear only increases with time. There's a reason why the younger the jinchuuriki, the easier it is to seal the demon inside their bodies. Otherwise the host would immediately reject the foreign chakra. But because you have spent so much time with Naruto, your body has grown accustomed to my chakra and doesn't put much of a fight to resist it."**

"It takes a human body this long to grow used to your chakra?"

Kyuubi barked in laughter. "**No, Uchiha. I simply never felt the need to seek you out. If I wanted to, my chakra could've entered your body after the first week."**

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "That's a significantly short amount of time."

"**The more emotionally attached you are to my host, the easier it is for you to accept me,"** the demon replied softly. **"That's also why demons are commonly passed down from mother to child. The link between family members can be stronger than the destructive power of demonic chakra."**

The Uchiha considered Kyuubi's words carefully. "You feel the emotions Naruto feels towards her loved ones."

"**Precisely, you idiot, which is why I'm about to snap off your head."** Red chakra shot out of the fox demon's nostrils. **"Why the fuck did you tell her she was talking to **_**Kiba**_**?" **Itachi didn't answer, and the annoyance Kyuubi held at bay broke free. The demon roared.** "IT WAS YOUR GODFUCKING BABY UCHIHA BROTHER SHE KEPT CRYING FOR AND YOU DECIDED TO KEEP THAT AWAY FROM HER?"**

No expression formed on Itachi's impassive face. "She was in so much pain when she heard of his return. I didn't want to add to that pain and tell her things she didn't want to hear."

"**Oh, like how she kept muttering about how much she loved Sasuke?"** Kyuubi answered bluntly.

Itachi stared at Kyuubi. "If you want her to know so badly, who don't you just tell her yourself?"

Kyuubi growled.

"You're not telling her for the same reason I'm not."

The fox demon sighed. **"But she loves him."**

"She doesn't know that," he replied. The man paused. "What happened between these two?"

"**It's a long story."**

"And you're not going to tell me?"

"**Believe me, I'd tell you if I knew."**

Itachi could not stop a look of surprise from flashing across his face. "I wasn't aware Naruto could keep secrets from you."

Kyuubi scrutinized Itachi, before slowly lowering its head until it was eye to eye with the man. **"She can't,"** the demon said flatly.

The words took a moment to sink in. "She has amnesia?"

**"You could say that. It's more like all those painful memories are repressed. When the incident happened, her pain was so great that it even affected my memories and blocked them out as well. I can't remember much either."**

"What was the incident?" Itachi asked softly.

**"Like I said, I'd tell you if I knew. Every time Naruto comes close of retrieving those memories, she goes through a mental breakdown." **The demon paused. One of Kyuubi's tails flicked. **"She almost destroyed a whole village once in her craze. Of course, this happened back before she had left for that ridiculous seven year mission. But I still wouldn't suggest you go about prodding in these matters. She's a lot more powerful now."**

"If she can't remember what exactly happened, then why does she hate Sasuke so much?"

Kyuubi snorted. **"If the mention of his name can paralyze her, then I'm pretty sure she wouldn't need much prompting to hate his guts. Naruto was never good with logic and rationality anyway. She acts purely on emotions. You know that."**

"I do," Itachi admitted. He considered the information Kyuubi had disclosed. "But she's in love with him."

The demon almost rolled his eyes. **"Undoubtedly so."**

"Was... my brother at fault?" There was a slight doubt in Itachi's voice. "Do you at least know that much?"

Kyuubi stared at Itachi, noting the man's clenched fists. **"Your brother loved Naruto more than anything," **the fox then said seriously. **"He and Naruto always had a destructive relationship, but..." **Kyuubi growled. **"Never thought I'd say this about any Uchiha, but that black haired snot was good for her. I am willing to bet my nine tails that the blame Naruto puts on Sasuke is misplaced."**

Itachi closed his eyes tiredly. "Thank you."

"**You care so much about your brother, but you're not going to help the brat confess her love to him?"**

"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I've already put the idea in her mind. What she wants to do what that information is beyond my abilities."

The fox demon chuckled darkly**. "You mortals and your strange ways. Very well. But suppose, Uchiha Itachi, that Inuzuka Kiba comes back?"**

"Then we'll wish Naruto congratulations."

"**No fight whatsoever in you? I'm disappointed. I thought your kind was of a stronger breed."**

"If you're referring to your relationship with Uchiha Madara," Itachi said coldly, "then I'm sorry to inform you not all Uchihas are as bloodthirsty."

Kyuubi snorted. **"Don't judge things you don't know."**

There was a moment of silence. Sharingan met with demonic red, and a feeling of mutual respect passed between the two. Kyuubi's nine tails thrashed one last time before its chakra wrapped around its massive body. The walls began warping.

"**Take good care of the little brat. She's not much, but she's all I got."**

"I will."

And just like that, Kyuubi disappeared, and Itachi was thrown into darkness.

**XXX**

A lark sang a long, loud note. It shattered through the still silence of the early sunrise, ringing a few seconds longer in the crisp morning air. But just when the peace was about to be restored, another bird sang the following key. More birds subsequently joined in, and soon a loud symphony of chirping was taking place. And so, however groggily, Naruto was forced to open her eyes.

"Shut up," the blonde muttered incoherently. Annoyance darkened her features. "Fucking birds."

She felt disorientated… Where was she…? Sleep still blocked her senses, and so the blonde blinked rapidly, allowing her blurry vision to clear. She saw sunlight spill onto the floor through an open window, and perking her ears, she could hear the bustling of pedestrians hurrying along on the streets. Naruto was confused; she smelled the fresh dew on the grass – as well as the delicious scent of breakfast cooking in nearby restaurants – but these were not the things she was familiar with every morning she woke up at the Manor. She shifted to get a better look outside the window, and realized she couldn't due to the heavy weight pressed against her body. She glanced down in surprise before smiling gently. The girl stroked the man's long ponytail.

"Morning, gorgeous," Naruto said softly.

Itachi cracked one eye open before closing it again. "Am I suffocating you?"

Naruto grinned. "No, you're not." Amusement twinkled in her eyes. "How did you end up on top of me? I thought I dozed off on _you_."

Itachi's voice was muffled against Naruto's neck. "You're a messy sleeper."

Naruto's eyes widened comically. "Shut up!" she said indignantly. "You're lying!"

"Ask the floor."

Naruto laughed freely. "Okay, maybe you caught me!" She hugged the man, who grunted his protest at being squeezed in the wee hours of the morning. "Let's go for a walk!"

"Let me sleep."

"But Itachi..." Her voice had dropped to a low whine, and she adopted a pitiful look. "It's such a nice day."

Itachi yawned and rolled over so that he was on his back, blinking sleepily at the pouting blonde. "I'm up."

A huge grin split across Naruto's face. "When are your ANBU duties today? I don't want you to be late." The blonde jumped out of bed before glanced down, suddenly frowning in dismay at her wrinkled outfit. "Crap, my shirt is totally ruined!"

Itachi tiredly pointed to the small bag resting on a chair in the corner of the room. "I got some spare clothes from the Manor." He rubbed his eyes as Naruto bounded across the room to the bag and began digging for her clothes. "And I took two days off from ANBU."

"What!" Naruto exclaimed. She stopped her rummaging as she stared at the Uchiha. "You did? What for? Tsunade-baachan let you?"

Itachi propped himself up on his elbows. The sight of his somewhat disheveled hair made Naruto smile. "She knows I would want to take some time to make sure you and Sasuke don't kill each other."

"Oh."

"Are you okay with – "

"Yes, I'll be fine." Naruto smiled dryly. "I promise to be mature from now on, even if he can't conduct himself in a proper manner."

"I'll hurt him if I need to."

Naruto laughed, but she sobered up as soon as she saw Itachi's solemn expression. "You weren't joking."

"Naruto, I am completely serious about this. If it makes you uncomfortable, arrangements can be made. You shouldn't feel obliged to stay at the Manor – "

"Itachi." The blonde strode over to the man before cupping his face firmly with both hands. She stared sternly at him. "I want to be with you and the kids. That is a given. Understand?"

Itachi sighed. "If you say so."

"On a more important note..." Naruto held up two socks, one which was blue and the other bright red. "You got me mismatched socks. Are you blind?"

The Uchiha ruffled Naruto's hair. "Don't complain. I'm going to use the washroom. We'll go buy dumplings for breakfast."

"I want shrimp!" Naruto shouted at the man's retreating back. "I swear I'm not allergic."

"Naruto," came Itachi's voice from behind the bathroom door. The sound of running water could be heard. "You're not eating shrimp again. Not on my watch."

"Tyrant," the blonde muttered darkly.

**XXX**

As Naruto and Itachi were seated in a small restaurant later, sipping their tea and blowing on their steaming dumplings, Naruto noticed the far away glaze in Itachi's eyes, and she could not help but see a troubled expression in his face. She kicked him gently underneath the table, and he blinked out of his stupor.

"Itachi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Naruto," came the automatic reply.

"Itachi…" Naruto growled menacingly. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid, or I'll start to think that's really what you think of me!"

Itachi impassively sipped his tea. "I was thinking."

"_And? _"

"It is about ANBU."

"What about it?"

Itachi took a bite out of his dumpling. He rubbed his temple wearily. "Chuunin exams start in a month."

"In a month!" Naruto exclaimed. "When are you guys planning to release that to the public? What a short notice."

"Well, because of the ongoing war, we haven't had much time to communicate with the other villages. Only one hidden village, Suna, responded last minute, and they're coming here for the exams." Itachi straightened and stared at Naruto. "The Kagekaze is coming."

Naruto ate slowly, not noticing Itachi's inquisitive gaze. "I wonder if Ino would think Kaira's ready for Chuunin. A month doesn't give me much time to prepare her for it either."

"Naruto. Did you hear what I said?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Chuunin exams are going to be at Konoha, right?"

"The Kazekage is coming."

Naruto blinked. "Yeah. So? Doesn't the Kazekage always come if Suna is participating in the exams?"

"Do you know who the Kazekage is?"

"The leader of Suna?"

Itachi's eyebrow twitched. "No, Naruto. I meant as in who _is _the leader of Suna."

Naruto was stumped. She bit her lip as she thought deeply. "Crap." The blonde sheepishly grinned. "That might have escaped me. I forgot who took over Suna after Orochimaru killed the last one during my Chuunin exam. Shit I'm old."

"The Kazekage titled switched during your seven year hiatus, Naruto."

"Oh it did? Then I definitely wouldn't know!" Naruto stuffed a couple dumplings in her face and swallowed. "Why are you being so mysterious, Itachi?"

"It's Gaara."

Naruto's chopsticks fell out of her hand as she choked on her food. The chopsticks clattered onto the floor, but she didn't care. Instead, her eyes were riveted onto Itachi as she pounded her chest in an attempt to end her coughing fit.

"I see that information is new to you."

"Gaara? He's still here?" Naruto croaked out in shock. She cleared her throat. "All this time I was back, and I just had ask who the Kazekage was… Holy fuck. How did I never know?"

"You were close with him?" Itachi asked.

"Y-yeah I guess we were close."

"How close?"

Naruto blushed. "Itachi…"

"I'm sorry, but I must ask this."

The blonde blew out a breath. "If you really must know, I dated him."

"As a boy?" Itachi questioned. He somehow could not keep the surprise out of his voice.

Naruto threw Itachi a glare. "Can you not? My dad's henge broke when I turned fourteen. I dated Gaara for almost a year before my mission. He was one of the few people who knew I was girl."

"You thought he was dead?"

Naruto looked away. "Not… dead. I thought he left."

"Left what?"

"Left Suna. He… had a personal mission he wanted to complete."

"Can you tell me, Naruto?" Itachi asked. "Konoha has every right to question Suna's actions at the moment. They haven't been our ally for seven years."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What! Seven… years." Understanding dawned, and horror marred her features. "Oh my god, don't tell me it's because of me."

"Gaara was nominated Kazekage shortly after you left for your mission. Suna was very secretive about it. We never knew the full details behind the switching of the Kazekage title. But when he found out you were gone and none of us could explain why you had yet to return, Suna immediately withdrew their alliance. This is the first time we've heard from them in a very long time, Naruto, and people are worried the Chuunin exams are going to be used for an ambush, like Orochimaru did many years ago."

"Gaara would never!" Naruto protested loudly. She saw the curious stares she got from people inside the restaurant, and the blonde immediately lowered her voice. "Y-you don't understand, but I swear, Gaara would never do such a thing."

Itachi locked his hands together and propped up his elbows. He sighed tiredly. "Naruto, are you ever planning to return to the battlefield? The Konoha Council wanted me to ask you."

"Return to the battlefield?" Naruto repeated. Her face fell. "Oh… like ANBU duties."

"You've been out of the loop for a long time. Iruka and Kakashi ask about you a lot."

Naruto bit her lip. She hadn't been able to talk to either sensei since her party months ago, and she felt extremely guilty. "I miss them a lot too."

"Of course, it's completely your choice," Itachi said. "Tsunade-sama would never allow it, but seeing how the war is turning…"

Naruto gritted her teeth. "Any sign of my team?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

"Then I don't know what to say," Naruto's eyes misted over. "I don't think I'm ready yet."

Itachi's face softened. "Don't force it, little one. I'll tell the elders to stop asking." The Uchiha reached over and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Naruto's face. "Naruto, you understand ANBU procedure. I need to know what happened between you and Gaara."

Naruto ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "How are Temari and Kankuro?"

"They're Gaara's council. Last time I checked, they were fine. Why?"

The blonde sighed. "Because the last time _I _saw the three of them, I was wishing them a safe trip to Water country."

"Water country? Why?"

Naruto's eyes met with Itachi's. "They found their mother."

"I thought… their mother died," Itachi spoke slowly. "Konoha was told that Gaara's mother died giving birth to Gaara. The one-tailed demon Shuukaku killed her."

"That's what we all thought." Naruto began twiddling with her food, as her eyes became glazed with forgotten memories. "I was at Suna for a mission. It was so late at night… I was about to sleep soon, too. But there he was, throwing rocks at my window like an idiot." Naruto shook her head, laughing a little at the memory. "I opened my window to let Gaara in. He looked… out of it. His eyes were wild with excitement.

"I immediately asked him what happened, and he told me he had heard two guards talking about his birth. His mother's name popped up, and they didn't talk about her like she was dead. So right after, Gaara broke into Suna's record-keeping room and took out his mother's history. He found out she was banished to Water country right after he was born, and to cover it up, Gaara's late father told the entire village she had died."

"Why was she banished?" Itachi asked softly.

"She objected to Gaara being a jinchuuriki, and she threatened to overthrow the Kazekage. For her mutiny, her husband made her an outcast."

"Gaara and his two siblings left immediately after they found out?"

"Yeah. Before Gaara and I parted ways, we swore not to let anyone know about our relationship, in case Suna managed to get a lead from me. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro meant to leave Suna for good, and they didn't want any tracking shinobi after them."

"When was this?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "One week before my seven year mission."

"So learning Gaara's Kazekage is – "

"A real kick in the gut, yes," Naruto finished bluntly. "For all these years, I've always imagined him happily reunited with his mother."

"Naruto, is there any way that Gaara would have malicious intent towards Konoha?"

Naruto stared steadily back at Itachi. "No. Gaara wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I'm assuming he's coming to Konoha only for you?"

The blonde reddened into a deep shade of magenta. "Itachi - "

"Just making sure, little one. It's protocol."

"Yes," Naruto replied stiffly, so embarrassed she could not meet Itachi's eyes. "Yes, I suppose so. The Kazekage is traveling this far just so he could see me. I am a creature to be envied."

"The Suna-Konoha alliance rests on your shoulders."

"Shut up."

"Are you going to meet him?"

Naruto glared at the Uchiha. "Well of course I am! He's my ex-boyfriend, not my nemesis."

"If he's interested in continuing your past relationship, would you?" Now it was Itachi who sounded stiff.

The blonde laughed. "Are you being _protective_?"

The Uchiha's expression was blank. "Would you date Gaara?"

"That's a dumb question," Naruto said, glaring. "Or have you forgotten I'm engaged?"

Itachi noticed Naruto's scowl waver slightly. "Naruto…" He reached over and squeezed Naruto's hand. "There's always hope."

"I'm beginning to think Ino was right. Sometimes, you just gotta let go. No matter how much it hurts. I think about him every day, but knowing Kiba... He wouldn't want me to wait forever. Hell, he'd probably be pissed. I'm still hoping desperately for any signs, but... It's been almost a year already. I just don't know anymore." Naruto then returned Itachi's squeeze, smiling painfully. "But I got you here next to me. Everything's gonna be okay."

Itachi's handsome face softened. "It will."

* * *

Chapter 7 will be out soon! Thanks for your patience.

Shout out to** Shika1929 **for catching my Gaara mistake in Chapter 1! haha. Your trollface comment made me laugh. I corrected the mistake, so thank you!

Thanks to all of you guys for supporting me and reviewing!


	8. Chapter 7: The Confrontation Part III

sorry for the wait ;(

XXX

* * *

**Chapter 7: Confrontation Part III**

* * *

All three children sprinted towards Naruto when they saw her at the front gate of Ino's house. The blonde was almost knocked over as the kids hugged her, and she showered kisses on their faces.

"Mother, I was so fucking worried!" Kaira yelled.

"Uchiha Kaira!" Naruto hissed. "You may not use such vulgar language!"

"Mama, what's flucking?" Momo asked impishly.

"Not a single word from you," Naruto snapped. The blonde glared at the infant before locking eyes with Ryūshiro. She reached for him and he gladly complied.

"They have an appetite, these kids." Ino walked out to where Itachi and Naruto were standing. "Goodness, I worried I didn't make enough for them."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks, Ino. I'm so sorry for the trouble."

Another voice answered before Ino could. "Anytime, dickless."

"Sai!" Naruto said, exasperated. She glared at the smirking man who came to stand next to Ino. "Don't tell me you've corrupted my children with that kind of talk."

Sai merely smiled, his lips curling upwards in an ever so fake manner.

"Morning, Naruto-san," piped up Yuuta as he popped his head outside. Mana followed in his wake. "Morning, Itachi-san."

"Morning, Yuuta, Mana," Naruto said. "I hope Kaira wasn't a bother."

"Mom!"

"I'm kidding, Kaira," She hugged the indignant Uchiha. "Why so serious, honey?"

"Can you treat me like a mature individual, Mother?" the girl huffed.

Ino suddenly clapped her hands together. "Oh, Naruto, I just remembered. You might not have known, but Chuunin exams are in a month, and I was wondering if you'd think these three would be ready for it. Your opinion is valid too, Itachi-san."

Kaira, Yuuta, and Mana immediately brightened, and they directed three pleading pairs of eyes at Naruto and Itachi.

"Oh Mother," Kaira breathed, excitement shining in her face. She grabbed onto Naruto's arm. "We've been looking forward to Chuunin exams since we've become Genin!" She then turned to Itachi. "Father, can I please go?"

"Itachi-san, Naruto-san, it would mean everything to us!" Mana spoke up for the first time. Her spiky brown hair seemed to frizzle with enthusiasm. "We've trained so hard!"

Naruto bit her lip. "Your life can be on the line here. And you guys aren't even eleven." Worry flashed through her face, and she noticed the same expression – however subtle – in Itachi's face.

"We're willing to put in whatever we need in order to win!" Yuuta said fiercely. "Naruto-san, we won't lose. I promise."

Naruto stared at the three determined faces before looking towards Itachi's direction. She saw him give the slightest, grudging incline of his head. The blonde turned back to Ino and shrugged helplessly. "Well, there you go. I don't think we'll be able to find any other students more mentally-prepared than they are."

Kaira squealed. "Oh Mom, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But Kaira," the blonde warned, "from today until the exam, I dictate your training schedule. Whenever I say train, you train. Whenever I tell you to stop, by all means, you _stop_. And the same goes for your eating and sleeping habits."

Ino concurred. "You guys too, Yuuta, Mana. Do you hear me?"

Kaira, Yuuta and Mana bowed their heads. "Yes!" came the unanimous answer.

"So controlling," Sai commented. "Who knew dickless had so much balls."

The vein on Naruto's forehead bulged. "Sai… one more 'dickless' from you and you won't be having much of a dick yourself to look at!"

Kaira, Mana, and Ino shrieked with laughter while Yuuta visibly paled.

"Wow Naruto-san. I'm glad you weren't talking to me!" the little boy said.

"Hopefully, I would never. Don't learn from that idiot Sai." Naruto gave Ino a grateful hug. "Thanks for everything, dear. We'll be going on our way now. See you soon!"

Ino waved at the departing group. "Visit whenever you get the chance, everyone!"

**XXX**

Naruto took a deep breath when they arrived at the Manor's front doors. "So..." she began. Her voice died in her throat.

"Mom?" Kaira asked hesitantly as Itachi raised his eyebrows.

Naruto sighed. "I have a confession to make." She winced. "Yesterday, I may have broken the dinner table."

Ryūshiro's eyes considerably widened, and Kaira's mouth popped open. Momo, on the other hand, clapped her hands together in hilarity and laughed.

"Mama did a bad thing!" the baby said, giggling. "Mama needs a time out!"

"Hush, child," Itachi said quietly and ruffled Momo's short black hair. "Don't make Mama feel worse about it."

Naruto scowled. "I just thought it would be worth mentioning before you guys go inside."

"But Mother!" Kaira exclaimed. "How do you go about breaking a dinner table? That table was ridiculously sturdy!"

The blonde winced. "Don't tell me it was vintage." The four Uchihas stayed quiet, and Naruto groaned. "Oh god, I am so sorry. Itachi, why did you never tell me?"

Itachi blinked. "We never did like the table, did we?"

The three kids quickly shook their heads.

"But Mother, why did you break it?" Kaira then asked.

"I… I…" Naruto cringed. "I lost my temper."

Kaira immediately got the hint, and she sadly touched Naruto's arm. "Mother, are you going to live somewhere else now?"

"No!" Naruto said, hugging Kaira tightly. She kissed the worried girl on her forehead. "Kaira, I would never leave you guys. We're a family."

Itachi stepped closer, and Naruto proceeded to hug all four Uchihas in a big embrace. There was a moment of peaceful, contented silence, and Naruto smiled a small smile at Itachi, whose eyes glistened with satisfaction.

"Is Daddy inside?"

Even Itachi winced at Momo's question, and they all turned to gauge Naruto's expression.

The smile on Naruto's face grew bigger. "Of course he is. Do you want to go meet him?"

"Yes!"

Naruto took the key and inserted it into the door, unlocking it in one swift movement. She opened the door and grinned. "All right then, after you three!"

Ryūshiro, Kaira, and Momo subsequently walked inside. As Itachi passed by Naruto, however, he quietly murmured at the blonde, "As I said, Naruto, you don't have to. Don't force yourself."

Naruto's eyes momentarily flashed, and she glowered at the man. "Itachi," she hissed. "As I told _you, _they make me happy." She grabbed his arm and roughly shoved the Uchiha inside.

To Naruto's surprise, the dining room was free of glass shards. She wondered incredulously if Sasuke had cleaned up the mess. The blonde then caught Itachi's raised eyebrows, and she cringed. For although the room was clean of any untidiness, the table itself was a whole different matter. Kaira and Ryūshiro stared at the gaping hole in the middle of the thick glass surface; there were at least a thousand cracks spiraling away from the gap.

"M-Mom," Kaira whispered in awe. "You did this amount of damage in just _one_ punch?"

Naruto sighed. "Kids, please don't learn from Mommy. Losing one's temper is never a good thing."

Momo squealed with laughter. She could not see the huge hole, but she could definitely feel it. "Mommy, my whole body can fit here!"

"No, bad girl!" Naruto quickly whisked away the toddler from the broken table. "You can get cut by all those sharp edges, Momo! That will hurt, you silly baby."

Momo wiggled herself out of Naruto's grip and frowned. "Where's Daddy? I want to see Daddy!"

"I…" Naruto looked helplessly at Itachi. "Itachi?"

Itachi straightened. "Sasuke?" he said in a slightly raised voice.

"Itachi, he's not a dog," Naruto snorted in exasperation. "He's not going to come if you just call his name loudly on – " The blonde stopped in mid-sentence as a familiar chakra signature entered into the section of the house. Within another second, Sasuke appeared in the doorway. He wore a blue jacket and some black jeans, but there was no hiding the bandages wrapped around his chest.

"Sasuke-san!" Kaira exclaimed, bowing deeply.

"Kaira," the man acknowledged blankly. "Nii-san." There was a slight pause. "Uzumaki."

"Morning, Sasuke," Naruto said. The blonde turned to the toddler who was now coyly grabbing onto her leg. "Momo, why don't you go say hi to your daddy?" The small girl shook her head furiously, and Naruto crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you're shy_. _You're a lot of things, Uchiha Momo, but shy is not one of them. Now go say _hi_." She desperately shook her leg, but the girl clung on.

"No, Mama! Don't wanna!"

"Momo!" But no matter how Naruto moved her leg, Momo clung on tightly, crying and yelling. Naruto was at her wit's end. "Itachi!"

But before Itachi could make a move, Ryūshiro suddenly grabbed his sister's hand, and the baby instantly stopped her racket. Ryūshiro then proceeded to tug her off Naruto's leg, and the small toddler complied. Itachi, Kaira, and Naruto watched wordlessly as Ryūshiro and Momo walked cautiously towards their father for the first time. Momo immediately latched herself upon Sasuke's leg, wiping her wet cheeks on his pants.

"Daddy," the baby cooed. "Up!" She raised her arms, indicating she wanted Sasuke to pick her up.

Sasuke, who had been stiffly standing in the doorway the whole time, faintly furrowed his eyebrows, but the coldness in his face had warmed ever so slightly. He bent down to take the small toddler into his arms, fumbling a little awkwardly at the not-so-familiar gesture. Ryūshiro took this vulnerable moment to hug his father's leg. The little boy placed two fingers on his lips before pressing them against Sasuke.

"He's saying he loves you," Naruto said quietly. Her gaze was affectionately fixated upon the small Uchiha boy, so she did not see the tremor that flashed through Sasuke's face.

"I love Daddy too!" Momo stated happily. "I love Mommy and Daddy!"

The wry smile on Naruto's face didn't go unnoticed. "And I love _you_, Momo."

There was a pause.

"Kaira, be a good girl and take Shiro and Momo out to the garden," Naruto then said briskly as her eyes considerably tightened. "Your father and I need to have a talk with your uncle."

Kaira's face immediately became pained. "Again…?"

Momo squawked her protest. "No! Mommy's going to disappear again!"

Even Ryūshiro looked conflicted, as if his panicked eyes weren't a giveaway to the boy's discomfort at Naruto's words.

"Kids." Itachi had spoken up for the first time. "Don't disobey orders."

"But Mother... Are you sure you're not - leaving?" Kaira's voice shook.

Naruto grabbed Kaira into a tight embrace. "You silly girl, I told you. I'm not leaving. I never go back on my promises. You have to trust me."

The Uchiha girl hung her head. She reluctantly trudged to Sasuke and took an objecting Momo out of his arms, and the baby immediately buried her face into Kaira's neck. Kaira then beckoned for Ryūshiro, and the boy obediently followed after Kaira. Before disappearing out of the room, the Uchiha girl turned and smiled weakly at Naruto. Insecurity was etched into Kaira's liquid brown eyes.

"Mom… You can break the whole house down if you want. Just don't leave, okay?"

"You have my word."

And the trio left.

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Itachi and Sasuke exchanged a long look. There was almost something hilarious about the awkwardness of the situation; no one talked, no one moved. Seconds ticked by painfully.

"Okay." Naruto took a deep breath, purposely not meeting Sasuke's eyes. "I know I lost my temper yesterday. I have to admit, seeing you for the first time on such a short notice threw my emotions out of whack. But we are both mature adults here, and whatever... _issues _I may have against you in the past, I will do my best to control. I hope we can both put yesterday behind us."

Neither Uchiha moved.

"But what I said still holds. I really don't want any sort of contact with you, but as you can see, the kids already think I'm about to leave at any given moment. That is honestly the last thing on my mind, and I don't want them thinking anything different. So you and I have to pretend to be somewhat friendly. Would you agree, Sasuke?"

Sasuke slowly nodded.

Naruto suddenly surprised both men as she strode to Sasuke. He flinched when she placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two Uchiha men could only stare. Her hand glowed blue.

"You have one broken clavicle and one sprained shoulder. Why are you not at the hospital?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but his mouth tightened.

"I'm sorry, did I stutter?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"He's not on good terms with them," Itachi answered.

Naruto narrowed her eyes. "Not on good terms? It's a hospital, not a – "

"Sakura was the head doctor there," Sasuke cut in quietly. There was no emotion in his eyes.

The blonde blinked dubiously. Understanding dawned. "And now you don't trust the other nurses and doctors." Neither Uchiha made a comment, and she sighed jadedly. "You guys are a real piece of work. I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee the satisfying results a professional medic nin can. Go to the living room."

Sasuke subsequently left without another word, and Naruto stared after him in disbelief.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?" Itachi asked.

"I…" Naruto clenched her hands. "He doesn't trust the doctors in the hospital, but he trusts _me_? I… don't get it. I hate him. He knows that."

Itachi merely smiled, although the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

**XXX**

Naruto made Sasuke rest on the couch. She walked to the cabinet in the corner and opened it. There were lotions and creams of different sizes filling the long rows, and the blonde carefully selected a few. She stepped back to where Sasuke lied and sat down next to him, placing two fingers on his forehead.

"You don't have a fever, which means no infection." Naruto took out a pair of scissors. "I'm going to be cutting the bandages on your chest. Please don't move, or I'll be cutting more than just gauze." Sasuke stayed silent, though his eyes never left Naruto's face. The snipping sound of the scissors soon became the only noise in the entire room. Snip snip. Naruto tried to not let Sasuke's steady stare bother her. The blonde told herself to focus, that she was only healing the bastard because Momo would never stop crying if she suddenly lost her father. But she could feel her cheeks start to flush, and finally she decided to not put up with his bullshit.

"Why are you staring?" Naruto snapped in exasperation, straightening and crossing her arms. "Haven't people told you that it's rude?"

Sasuke didn't change his expression. It was almost as if he hadn't heard her outburst at all.

"If you have something to say, just say it. You don't need to glare me to death."

"I'm just making sure you know what you're doing," the Uchiha said blankly.

Naruto glowered. "Don't misunderstand me, Uchiha. I'm only healing you because your children need their father. Don't take this as an invitation to act how you want."

Sasuke made a small noise in the back of his throat. He pointedly looked away towards the window, giving Naruto the privacy that she wanted.

The blonde's scowl deepened at the Uchiha's condescending attitude, but she held her tongue. Resuming her cutting, she focused at the task on hand. It had been months since she'd healed another shinobi, and although she hated Sasuke with a passion, she was genuine when she said that she didn't want to leave Shiro and Momo both mother and fatherless.

"Okay the bandages are cut. Can you remove them yourself? I don't want to move you in case I jar your injuries."

Sasuke quietly obeyed her order and Naruto turned her attention to the medicine ointments on the table. She took a bottle of treatment lotion and squirted it onto her hands. The woman thought back to her training, remembering the necessary chakra movements and flow needed to heal broken bones. She then directed her attention back to Sasuke. And froze.

She had forgotten how muscular and flawless his chest was. In the span of twelve years, Sasuke had grown so much more masculine, and if Naruto had not been an experienced shinobi, the shock she felt would've been evident on her face. But she quickly hid her moment of surprise behind a pokerface, and she doubted Sasuke realized what had just flitted through her mind. Naruto fixated on the nasty purple bruise that resided in Sasuke's collar bone area. The injury greatly contrasted against Sasuke's pale skin, and it looked like it had been causing the man a lot of discomfort. Naruto furrowed her eyebrows in thought as she analyzed the wound, and she took the hand that was covered with ointment and gently pressed it against Sasuke's chest.

He involuntarily flinched, and she almost recoiled back, worried that she had hurt him with her touch. But then she realized she was barely applying any pressure against the wound, and she confusedly looked at Sasuke. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, and in Sasuke's black eyes she saw a flash of raw emotion so sharp that it caused Naruto's breath to hitch in her throat, and for a second she forgot she hated the man.

"Idiot," Sasuke then said flatly, no expression now in his black depths. "Are you going to heal me or not?"

Naruto started, her thoughts jumbled and her mind in a whirl. Memories flitted in and out of consciousness. She opened her mouth, she didn't know what she wanted to say, and –

"Mother!" Naruto turned to see a joyous Kaira run towards her. The girl's face was flushed with happiness. "You stayed!"

Naruto quickly collected her composure and smiled back. "As I told you I would. Where are the babies?"

"Father's playing with them," Kaira replied. The girl nodded once to Sasuke in respect. "I asked to come because he said you were healing Sasuke-san and I wanted to watch. May I, Mother?"

"Of course, Kaira. It would be my pleasure."

As Naruto returned to the task, she could not help but stare at Sasuke, who was now closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore the two women in the room. Yesterday, Naruto had felt nothing but satisfying revenge at hurting Sasuke with vindictive words. But today… Naruto wondered if it were possible for them to mend their broken relationship. Yet even as she considered the thought, a feeling so repulsive clamped her heart, and she pushed that thought to the far corners of her consciousness.

"Mother, why is your chakra visible?" Kaira asked, perplexed. "My Sharingan isn't activated, but your chakra is red."

Naruto hesitated. She realized Sasuke's eyes were open now and peering at her in curiosity as he waited to see how she'd answer Kaira's question.

"Well, it's a bloodline trait."

Kaira's eyes widened. "You have kekkei genkai, Mom?"

"Sort of," Naruto said carefully. "It's hard to explain, but my mother had it and she passed it down to me, so I supposed that's bloodline." Naruto saw surprise pass through Sasuke's face, and she realized Sasuke had never known who Naruto's parents were, as she had never told him.

"Your mother must've been very powerful," Kaira said reverently.

"She was," answered Naruto softly. "She sacrificed her life for me."

"How old were you?"

Naruto smiled sadly. "I was just born."

"And your father?"

"He died with her. They both gave up their lives for me." Naruto saw how Kaira had trouble choosing the right words, and the blonde laughed freely. "Sweetheart, do not be disheartened. I love my parents more than anything else in the world, but it does not cause me pain to reflect on their death. If I were in their position, I would have done the same, and I would not want my child spending the rest of his or her life living in guilt."

Kaira's eyes watered. "So it's not a bad thing that I don't feel… as much agony as Father when I think… think about my mother?"

"Child, do you love her?"

"Of course!" Kaira's face burned with conviction, and her eyes glowed. "I love her so much, even though I remember near to nothing about her. But… Is it disrespectful to accept you as my mother into my life? Naruto-san… Mother, I love you but to my biological mother…"

Naruto hooked a finger underneath Kaira's chin and tilted it so the Uchiha girl could look straight into Naruto's piercing blue eyes. "I would never try to replace the spot in your heart that you have for your biological mother, Kaira."

Kaira's face relaxed at Naruto's comforting words and she kissed the blonde's fingers.

"Mother, are you going to marry my father?"

Naruto did not miss the sudden rigidity in Sasuke's body. She spared him a glance and saw the man staring at her with such a fierceness that shot through her soul. Was it love or anger or jealousy? She could not discern it, but she knew he needed to relax in order for her to heal him.

"Sasuke, if you wouldn't mind loosing your muscles…"

A look of hatred contorted his facial features for a split second – a second so fast that Naruto knew Kaira must've missed it – and Sasuke made a motion as if he were going to leave. Naruto immediately narrowed her eyes at him threateningly, and he decided otherwise, closing his eyes once more. Although his body subsequently became slack, Naruto did not miss the pinched expression on his face, and she knew he was edgily waiting as Kaira was for Naruto's response.

"No, my dear," Naruto said. "I am not."

Kaira bit her lip. "Do you not love him?"

"I love him as I would a brother. He feels the same way. I'm sure you know that."

"Is there someone else, Mother?" Kaira asked, disappointed.

"There was." Naruto blinked once. "He is gone." She saw the million more questions burning in Kaira's eyes, and the blonde raised an eyebrow in a reprimanding manner. "I was under the impression that you came here to learn about healing, sweetie."

Kaira blushed. "Sorry, Mother. I did not mean to pry. I am too happy that you decided to stay."

"I am happy too, Kaira." Naruto shifted so that her hand was no longer placed against Sasuke's collarbone, which was now as pale and flawless as the rest of Sasuke's toned body. "I'm going to mend your shoulder now, Sasuke."

"Wow…" Kaira breathed. "His wound is completely healed. Mother, were you ever a medic nin?"

"No," Naruto chuckled. "I was too hotheaded to stay out of the front lines of battle. But I learned quite a lot from my mentors and elders, as you should now. Watch carefully, little one. This skill might save you a lot of trouble during the Chuunin exams."

Sasuke spoke for the first time. "When is it?"

Kaira almost jumped at the sound of her uncle's voice, as if she had forgotten he was living creature and not just a dummy for testing purposes. "Next month, Sasuke-san."

He spared his niece a scrutinizing glance. "You're participating with Ino's twins?"

"Y-yes."

"Best of luck," Sasuke said with a softer tone. "I'm sure you will do us proud."

Kaira absolutely glowed at the rare compliment, and even Naruto managed to give Sasuke a genuine look of gratitude. But Sasuke had already directed his eyes towards the ceiling, lost deep in thought.

"Kaira, will you pass me that ointment?" Naruto asked.

Kaira obeyed. She squirted the lotion onto Naruto's hands and watched intently as Naruto spread it all over her palms before placing her hands gently against Sasuke's dislocated shoulder.

"Mother, what is that for?"

"It's to help with chakra control. It works as a mediator and helps the flow of my chakra against Sasuke's skin. That way he won't feel much discomfort with my foreign energy force inside his body."

"I've never seen the hospital medics use it."

Naruto chuckled. "It's homemade, my dear. And I'm not allowed to pass on the secrets of this ointment. But I want you to bring some to your Chuunin exams. You can use it to heal yourself."

"I'll be honored, Mother."

A comfortable silence settled in the room. Kaira watched intently as Naruto healed Sasuke. The muscle and bone beneath the skin shifted slowly, and if Sasuke felt any discomfort at the feeling, he certainly didn't show it. A sweat broke upon Naruto's brow as she concentrated at the task. She was scared to call upon Kyuubi's immense chakra supply, for the last thing she wanted was her kids to uncover the dark horrors of her past. But seeing no other alternative, Naruto gave in and the area around her hand suddenly burned in an orange flame. Kaira moved slightly, wanting to ask questions but knowing better to keep her mouth shut. Another few moments passed, and Naruto finally withdrew, sighing contentedly.

"I'm finished. Move your shoulder, Sasuke."

Sasuke rotated his arm. He blinked, satisfied. "Thank you, Uzumaki."

If Kaira noticed the formal use of Naruto's surname, she didn't say anything.

"You're most welcome," Naruto replied matter-of-factly. "Kaira, I'm going to make lunch. We'll eat in two hours or so. Go out and play."

Kaira cocked her head sideways. "What takes two hours to cook lunch?"

Naruto laughed. "I'll be cooking your favorite Shepherd's pie and making barbeque ribs celebrating Sasuke's return. For dinner, we can all go to that big fancy hotpot restaurant downtown. The babies have been wanting to go there for a long time. It helps that your father doesn't have ANBU duties today, so he can join us."

"Hotpot!" Kaira exclaimed in excitement. "That sounds delicious, Mom!"

Naruto hugged the Uchiha girl. "Go on now. Tell your cousins of the news. And Itachi too, so he doesn't dare go back to work."

Kaira happily ran off after she kissed Naruto on both her whiskered cheeks. Naruto then turned to Sasuke, who had been stiffly sitting on the opposite ends of the couch.

"You'll go tonight?"

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

"That is correct," Naruto said blankly. "But your kids can't grow up without knowing the meaning of family. I don't want them spending their childhood like u – " The blonde paused. "Like me," she finished quietly. Both of them knew what Naruto had meant to say, and Sasuke felt a pang of sadness at Naruto's obvious attempt to sever all connections with him, past or present.

"Thank you for healing my injuries," he said. "You didn't have to."

"Don't flatter yourself. Must've been a tough mission."

"Not as tough as yours was, I'm sure."

Naruto stilled. She slowly directed her piercing gaze towards Sasuke's impassive face. "Excuse me?"

"They tell me you've been back for months now. But you still haven't picked up the ANBU uniform. People have been talking."

"That is none of your business!" Naruto hissed angrily. "You have no right to judge shit that you don't fucking - "

In a flash, Sasuke's palm was firmly placed on Naruto's mouth. Her eyes widened, but she made no move to pull away. The Uchiha and the blonde stared at each other, breath hitched in their throats. Sasuke's face seemed to tilt slightly towards Naruto's, but he caught himself.

"Your team. They're strong ninjas. They'll make it back home okay."

And he got up and left the room without a backwards glance.

Naruto dazedly brought her fingers up to touch where Sasuke's hand had been. The area tingled, and she realized that she was trembling. But the weirdest thing of all wasn't the sudden blush on her cheeks, or the unnerving inability to steady her quaking legs. It was the big, gaping hole in her chest that suddenly seemed to throb a little bit less, as if Sasuke's brief parting words had somehow comforted her pain when everyone else's attempts had proved so futile.

Naruto let herself fall onto the couch. She hadn't felt so contented and so conflicted in a long while. A million thoughts, a million emotions crashed down upon her, leaving her breathless and confused.

"Where is my happy ending?"

* * *

Review please! thank youuu


	9. Chapter 8: One Night Stands

finished chapter!

XXX

* * *

**Chapter 8: One Night Stands**

* * *

Naruto grunted slightly as she picked up the heavy grocery bags.

"Damn. I am out of shape," she muttered. Her eyebrows furrowed. Cooking and cleaning had become such a chore around the house. Not including herself, she had five mouths to feed, and heavens, do Uchihas eat! The children all possessed ravenous appetites, so consuming that Naruto even dropped by Konoha Hospital once out of worry. The present doctor merely patted the blonde on her head and sent her straight home with the diagnosis "Oh silly Uzumaki-san, this is completely normal for kids of such healthy age and stature!" And well, who was Naruto to say otherwise? It's not like she knew any better. Itachi and Sasuke, on the other hand, went on odd ANBU missions every now and then, so she wouldn't blame them for always being hungry when they came home. But the blonde couldn't help but feel a little neglected as she plowed through the day. Even Kyuubi had begun complaining of the draining effect the tasks had on his chakra supply, and if _that _demon bitched about being tired, then there was something terribly wrong with the situation.

But the love she harbored for the Uchihas - with the exception of a certain someone, of course - was enough motivation, and she honestly couldn't complain. She was happy.

"Though a little appreciation here and there would be well received," Naruto mused bitterly.

There was a sudden snapping sound, and Naruto's heart dropped to her stomach as she had realized one of the plastic bags could not withstand the weight of the groceries, and the bag itself had split in half. Cans and fruits fell to the street and began rolling away in multiple directions. The blonde groaned. _Seriously?_ She immediately began to chase after the runaway items.

"Need help, Uzumaki-san?"

"No, no, I'm good," Naruto said distractedly as she bent over to pick up a clam chowder can. She waved a hand in the general direction of the speaker. "Thank you though."

"I insist," the person said in much amusement. "Let me help you."

"Oh no," Naruto said. She still didn't bother to look up as she hurriedly stuffed the items back into another grocery bag. Her cheeks were tinted slightly in embarrassment. "It's fine, everything - "

"Naruto, you forgot something." The speaker handed an apple to the blonde. "Clumsy as always, ne?"

This time Naruto did look. A masked man with spiky gray hair smiled down at her.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the blonde exclaimed, jumping to her feet. She was at a loss for words. "It's been a while - I mean - Sensei! You look great! What are you doing here?"

Kakashi's smile merely grew bigger. "Mah, Naruto, you really shouldn't call me sensei anymore."

Naruto rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I guess old habits are hard to break, huh?"

"You were always my brightest pupil."

"Wait, sensei, was that _sarcasm_?" Naruto said, laughing. The blonde's initial awkwardness seemed to have eased. "It's such a nice surprise bumping to you here."

"Well I got to get food somehow," Kakashi said, raising his own grocery bag in response. "You do look like you need some help with that batch."

"Oh no, sensei, I'm good, I - "

But her protests fell on deaf ears as Kakashi picked up the bags from the ground without a second's hesitation. The older man saw Naruto's stunned expression, and he merely winked at the blonde.

"You may have started off as my student, Naruto, but you forget that you've blossomed into quite the beautiful woman. Let a gentleman humor himself."

Naruto blushed at the compliment, but a bit of the old Naruto broke through as the blonde raised defiant cerulean eyes at the silver-haired jounin. "Don't look down on me, Kakashi! I can still kick your ass!" She then smiled coyly. "But, I wouldn't want to get in the way of such a respectable code of honor."

Kakashi grinned in return and took a little mock bow. "Shall we?"

The two began strolling down the street at a leisurely pace. The old teacher student bond still seemed to be there, although things have definitely changed in the past decade or so.

"So..." Naruto said after a minute's silence. "It's been a while."

"Yes," Kakashi replied nonchalantly. "Yes it has."

"You're really quiet for someone who I haven't seen in a long time."

"Did you want me to say something?"

Naruto furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "You were never one to pry."

"I'll take that in a good light."

"Itachi said you and Iruka were worried about me."

Kakashi glanced over, his one showing eye expressing only exasperation. "Naruto, you're not a kid anymore. Yes, we worried, but we also trusted that you would deal with things your own way and that when you were ready, we'd be here to listen. Itachi-san has proved himself a compassionate man. Were we wrong?"

"No, no," Naruto said hurriedly. "That's not my point." The blonde fell silent, but she fidgeted restlessly.

Kakashi's expression softened. "Naruto, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. The fact that you're back home safe and sound is a blessing that me and Iruka will both take."

"I _know_ I caused you endless worry," Naruto said, blue eyes growing misty with emotion. "I know I should've come to see you and Iruka-sensei as soon as I settled into the Manor. This isn't how I wanted to meet you!"

"Naruto, I know."

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I'm so sorry. I should've..."

"We both know what you were going through." Kakashi fondly ruffled Naruto's hair. "Iruka and I are happy just knowing you're here in Konoha. Now cheer up for an old man, will you?"

Naruto chuckled weakly. "Sensei, you are not old." The blonde suddenly brightened and clapped her hands together. "Let me make it up to you! What do you say to dinner? I know Iruka-sensei is out of town, so unfortunately it will just be you and me, but we can still catch up and talk."

Kakashi blinked once before grinning. "I would like that."

"Tonight at eight? The three tree stumps?"

"Sure."

Naruto grinned. "It's a date, sensei."

"Would I have to be on the alert for any crazy, jealous Uchihas?"

Naruto snorted once before punching the joking man and taking her groceries out of his hand. "Don't be late!"

The look on Kakashi's face could only be described as innocent. "_Me_?"

The blonde stuck her tongue out at the older man before cheerfully parting ways. She was upset and ashamed at how she never made time to meet up with her beloved old teachers, but hopefully dinner tonight would make everything okay. It was only when Naruto reached the Uchiha Manor that she realized the person who came to mind when Kakashi made his Uchiha joke wasn't Itachi, but actually Sasuke.

Sasuke...

Honestly, there was no denying that her current relationship with him screamed awkward, fake and weird. He did his best to ignore her as she did him, but every evening they would have dinner together with Itachi - if he were home - and the kids. And bumping into each other in the hallway was inevitable. Itachi did his best to act as a mediator between the two, but he was very busy with his ANBU duties, as his superior shinobi skills became increasingly more and more precious to Konoha, and it was hard to catch him home. The two older kids, Shiro and Kaira, knew better than to mess with this relationship complicated beyond their understanding, but Momo was another story. On her fussier nights, she would scream to be tucked in by both parents, so Sasuke would stonily sit on a chair as Naruto kissed, hummed and sang the baby to sleep. Then the two would hurriedly bolt out of the room as if Death himself was hot at their feet. It had been a month already, and Naruto wondered how long she could endure this torture before she cracks.

In addition, the Chuunin exam had been postponed an extra two weeks, due to some strange treaty between Konoha and another nation. Naruto didn't bother with politics so she turned deaf ears to such conversations, but the delayed exams meant more time for Kaira to train. Strangely enough, Sasuke began to spend more time with the kids - Naruto wondered what caused the heartless Uchiha to suddenly man his fatherly responsibilities - but she didn't complain. On days Naruto was busy tending to Shiro and Momo, Sasuke would take an afternoon off to train Kaira in the woods right behind the Manor. The Uchiha girl simply flourished under such training; from Naruto she learned wits and endurance, from her uncle she perfected Uchiha jutsus. The girl was indeed a prodigy, and Itachi became extremely grateful to the two teachers.

A gentle voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Long day?"

Naruto kicked off her shoes at the front door and slipped into more comfortable footwear. "You're back early."

Itachi strode to the blonde and relieved her of the heavy bags. He grunted a little at the weight. "How much stuff did you buy?"

"And that's only two day's worth of food," she said somewhat snappishly.

"You're exhausted."

Naruto's expression immediately softened. Leave it to Itachi to quickly decipher her every movements. "No, silly it's - " She caught Itachi's dubious eye, and she backtracked. "I _am_ feeling a little under-appreciated, yes. But I'm sure that's just my period talking."

The Uchiha put down the bags and placed a hand against Naruto's forehead. "I'm sorry," he said genuinely.

Naruto laughed. "It's okay you big dork. You don't have to apologize. I know if you could, you'd be home more often." She sighed. "It's hard being a mom, you know. In the beginning it was fine. Do-able, even. But with every passing day I just worry more and more about their futures." She smiled sadly. "You must feel the same way."

Itachi gently grabbed both her shoulders. "Are you sure you don't need a break? Take a vacation somewhere?"

"Ha! According to some Konoha Councilmen, I _am _on vacation. Are they still bitching about it?"

"Your skills are very treasured. The ANBU forces would love for you to be back."

Naruto raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "And should I?"

"Never."

The blonde chuckled. "You baby me."

"You're a grown adult, Naruto." The Uchiha then proceeded to take the bags to the kitchen. He started unloading the groceries onto the counter, separating refrigerated items and cabinet foods. Naruto stumbled after him and fell tiredly into a nearby wooden chair.

"Where are the kids?"

"Kaira is reading them a story. They should be preoccupied for another fifteen minutes or so. Tell me about your day."

Naruto's eyes softened. Who knew Itachi had such a side to him? Not even the blonde could've guessed.

"You're cute."

Itachi made a guttural sound in the back of his throat.

"No, seriously, I know you don't believe me, but I mean it when I say you are everything a woman could want. Can you just get married and make some girl out there the luckiest person on earth?"

"Naruto, you don't know what you're saying. I'll cook tonight. You go rest."

Naruto propped her face up with her hands. She blew a raspberry. "That's what I need to tell the kids about. I have a date."

"Oh?"

"Haha, I'm just kidding. It's Kakashi-sensei. I bumped into him today, and I asked him to go to dinner with me. But I don't want the kids knowing he was my teacher. They might start asking too many questions."

"So you're telling them you're going on a date?"

"What? Am I not good enough to go on a date?" Naruto retorted.

Itachi shot the blonde an exasperated look. "Naruto, you know that's not what I meant. Don't you think it will worry them into a false pretense that you'll be bringing back a new father some day?"

Naruto sighed. "They need to understand that it is very well a huge reality." She blew the bangs out of her face. "Unless of course, I die forever alone," she added bitterly.

Itachi almost rolled his eyes. "You are a drama queen."

"How long will you be staying this time?"

"I don't know. Depends. ANBU has been swamped with missions." Itachi began chopping vegetables with ease. "The war seems inevitable."

Naruto frowned. "Do you have to fight?"

"I'm not going to answer that."

"But what about family? What about Kaira?"

Itachi's steady chopping hesitated. "Naruto..."

"Okay, okay." The blonde got up and walked to the Uchiha. "I'm feeling kind of bleh right now. Must be my annoying female hormones." She buried her face into Itachi's back and took a deep calming whiff of his scent.

"You think too much," Itachi said. "Never thought anyone would ever say that about you."

"Shut up, weasel."

There was a moment of brief silence. Naruto bit her lip in thought. "What if we did it?"

"Excuse me, Naruto?"

"What if we married each other?"

Chop chop. Chop chop. Itachi's hands never stopped their task. "Why are you asking this?"

"Just answer the question."

Itachi sighed before gently placing the knife on the board and turning around to face Naruto. "Then I think it would be a good marriage."

"You do?"

"You don't?"

Naruto smiled. "No, no, I do. I love you, Itachi, and I think you would say the same about me."

Itachi briskly brushed his lips across the blonde's forehead in response. "Why are you asking this?"

"Kaira put it in my head the other day. I told her no initially, but then I got to thinking... What if I never find another person?" Naruto's lip quivered dangerous. "After Kiba - " She choked on her words and took a deep, calming breath before saying in a steady voice, "I don't mind spending the rest of my life with you. I realized that today. You are so kind to me."

"You're still very young."

"No, I'm not!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm freaking twenty-five years old. Most kunoichi have kids when they turn eighteen. Look at me! I think the future possibility of me meeting my Prince Charming is extremely bleak." She shook her head before grabbing both Itachi's upper arms in a vicegrip. "Would you marry me? If it really came down to it?"

Itachi stared at Naruto, his expression blank. The weight of Naruto's question hung over the two, and they both knew it was delicate grounds they were stepping on.

A small rustle in the room immediately shattered the situation. Sasuke was in the corner of the kitchen, rummaging for something to eat. But the white showing in Sasuke's knuckles as he clenched his hand into the tightest fist gave way that the younger Uchiha brother had possibly heard Naruto's sudden proposal.

"Sasuke," Itachi said.

There was no response.

"Sasuke."

Still, Itachi's voice only fell on deaf ears.

The tension became increasingly hostile with every passing second.

"Well!" Naruto said rather loudly. "I best be getting ready then. Itachi, thanks for taking care of dinner tonight. You are such a delight." And without a single glance in Sasuke's direction, Naruto marched out of the kitchen.

The two brothers stood in silence.

"Sasuke," Itachi began delicately, "you know I love her very much. It would take a fool to not see that. I love her as a sister and as the mother of my child." He paused, before continuing in a more serious tone. "But I will do what is best for Kaira and Naruto. If one day it makes Naruto happy to have my hand in marriage, I will marry her. But she is not mine. Not yet."

And with that, Itachi resumed his chopping.

**XXX**

"A date?!" The shock in Kaira's voice was piercing.

Naruto winced. "I'm twenty five, Kaira, but I'm not a nun. Yes, I'm going on a date." The blonde suddenly noticed Shiro's crestfallen face. "Hey, hey none of that. Come on, babies, you should be excited for Mommy!"

Momo's small hands were clamped on her waist. "Mama should not go out so late!"

"And you should be in bed by now," Naruto retorted back. "Mama will be home when you wake up, Momo."

"But Mother," Kaira pleaded. "Can't you two just eat dinner here? In the Manor?"

"Oh God, and have you kids scare him away? You are very sneaky!"

"No, we'll be good!" the Uchiha girl promised. "Really, we won't make a sound!"

Itachi decided it was time to intervene. "Now Kaira, that's enough."

Naruto kissed all three pouting faces. "Children, that's not the encouragement I was hoping for."

"You look beautiful, Mom," Kaira said grudgingly.

Shiro sadly hugged the blonde and planted a warm kiss on her whiskered cheeks. Momo pouted.

"Thank you," Naruto said affectionately. "I love you three so, so much." She walked to the door and blew a last kiss at them. "Be good, please!"

"Wait, Naruto," Itachi called out. "Let me walk you to the gate. Kids, stay here."

Naruto and Itachi stepped out of the front door and onto the porch. The blonde smiled at the Uchiha and took his hand as the two began the short stroll to the entrance of the Manor. The October air was cool and refreshing on their skin.

"So?" the blonde asked.

"You're very emotional right now," Itachi said. "But I just wanted to tell you that it's okay to go out and date."

"What?"

"I know you're still hurting about Kiba" - he didn't mistake the tightening of Naruto's eyes - "But it will be good. It will help you move past this."

"Itachi, I seriously don't know what - "

"The marriage question that you threw at me today didn't come as a total shock. You're scared to get hurt again, and I will take your hand in marriage, but not yet. And I get that there are a lot of unresolved issues, especially concerning everything that has happened. But I really think you should go out and date a couple more times before considering marriage with me."

At this point Naruto was spluttering in shock, but Itachi wasn't done.

"I'm telling you, if something comes up between you and Kakashi, it's okay. No one deserves to grieve forever. I think it's about time to put yourself back out there again."

Naruto could only stare as she tried to collect her wits about her. "Itachi!" the blonde exclaimed. "I told you, it's not a real date! Have you gotten just as gullible as the kids?"

"Just bear what I said in mind, okay?" Itachi kissed Naruto's forehead. "Have fun, little one."

Naruto rolled her eyes. "Love you too."

**XXX**

Kakashi leisurely sat on one of the tree stumps as he waited for Naruto. Strange, he was in fact early for once. The masked man took a long stare at the surroundings, wondering whatever prompted Naruto to choose here of all places as a meeting point. It was here that Naruto and Kakashi had their first bonding with Team Seven, and although Naruto didn't know it, it was here that Kakashi and Minato had their first meeting together with Obito and Rin. Nostalgia pounded through Kakashi's veins stronger than ever, and the ninja mused in silence.

A small cough alerted Kakashi of Naruto's presence, and he glanced up.

She looked nice. She had on a plain white skirt, and it was billowing slightly in the wind. Her top consisted of a light blue blouse and a black cardigan. It was simple but extremely elegant, comfortably hugging and complimenting her figure. Her long blond hair was slightly wavy and curled at the ends, and she had on small, white pearl earrings.

"Kakashi-sensei!" her voice carried over with the wind. "You're early!"

"Mah, I'm surprised myself." Kakashi got up and cleared his throat sheepishly. "It appears I under-dressed for the occasion."

Naruto shook her head. "No, I rarely get out of the house. I thought I might as well." She surveyed Kakashi's outfit. Normal shinobi attire. "You look fine."

"Does this place bring back memories?"

"Oh yes." Naruto's cerulean eyes softened. "Most definitely."

"First time here since you got back?"

"No, I came here once when I wanted to..." She smiled sheepishly. "When I wanted to kick Itachi's butt to high heaven. Luckily he calmed me down before that fiasco happened. But..." She fidgeted a little. "It is the first time I'm visiting with an old Team 7 member."

Kakashi's lone eye crinkled into an upside down U. "How's that?"

"Make me happy."

"Good to hear that."

Naruto grinned at the masked man. "Where shall we go tonight?"

"I heard that Ichiraku Ramen has new late-night hours."

The blonde could hardly contain her excitement. "You are the best, sensei!"

**XXX**

Many things about Naruto had changed since her transformation from a boy to a girl, but her appetite was most certainly not affected. Kakashi watched in amazement as Naruto downed bowl after bowl. The dishes were already beginning to make small mountain piles on the table, but Naruto's hunger seemed insatiable.

"Um, Naruto, don't you think you should save some ramen for the other poor customers?" the man sweated.

"Don't call a lady fat."

Kakashi merely raised an eyebrow, humor twinkling in his eye.

"You didn't never talk about yourself," Naruto said, slurping the last of her noodles. "I've been ranting this whole time about my life, but you haven't yet said a word."

"What do you want to know?"

The blonde shrugged. "Anything, I suppose."

"You've got to be more specific than that."

"Okay, how about your parents?"

"I had a mom and dad."

"Oh c'mon, that's not fair. You know so much about me!"

Kakashi smiled. "I was your teacher and mentor, of course I would."

"Then I think it's only fair that I get to know you."

"Let's start with what you do know about me."

Naruto took a napkin and delicately wiped her mouth. "My father was your sensei." She saw Kakashi's startled expression. "Please, there are pictures stuffed in every drawer of Tsunade-baachan's desk. She knows so many people that I think she's centuries older than she lets on. Old geezer Jiraiya had a couple photos too. He sometimes talked about you guys."

"I didn't know Jiraiya knew so much."

"He happened to also tell me about another one of your secrets." Naruto's cerulean eyes glittered sneakily before she waved a waiter over. "Two bottles of sake please!"

Kakashi visibly paled. "Naruto..."

The blonde grinned. "My treat, sensei."

**XXX**

It was clear by the time Kakashi had his third sip of sake that spirits were not his forte. Already there were two pink spots on his cheekbones, and he was chatting away pretty open details about his past. He told Naruto about Obito and how the Uchiha had given his Sharingan to Kakashi as a dying wish. There was a lot of emotional baggage concerning that story, but Naruto recognized the drastic effect that the event had on Kakashi for the rest of his life.

"He was an amazing comrade," Naruto remarked. She then hiccuped, as she was also feeling the effects of the sake. "Tell me about Rin."

Kakashi's mask was slightly slipping out of place, but the man seemed too tipsy to notice. "Obito loved her more than anything."

"But?"

"She only had eyes for me."

"Did you not like her back?"

"I don't know." Kakashi frowned. "I was a bitter person. My father had committed suicide when I was a young boy, and that incident deeply scarred me. It was hard trying to understand everything and make sense of my world. I didn't have time for love."

"Then what happened?"

"She died."

"I'm so sorry."

Kakashi waved a hand. "Shit happens. Being a shinobi means you give up comforts."

"But what about now?"

"What?"

Naruto furrowed her brows. "Well, haven't you been seeing anyone else? Since her death."

"There were girls..." The man ran a tired hand through his gray hair. "They came and went."

"Sounds lonely."

"I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm going to die in battle."

"What?" Naruto was appalled. "That's why you won't settle down? How horrible."

"As a kid, losing my father was the hardest thing in my life. The pressures and traditions of a ninja aren't exactly cut out for a family-style living. I'm not gonna put my kids through that."

"You haven't even tried!"

"I love my father."

"I think that's ridiculous. You sound like fucking Itachi."

Kakashi sighed. "And you? Why am I not being pestered by ten little Naruto brats by now?"

Naruto chuckled bitterly at the image. "I have commitment issues." There was a brief silence as the blonde took a long chug from the sake bottle before continuing. "I love kids and everything. But I'm scared. After Kiba, I don't think I can ever go through losing someone again. It's too painful. I'm scared that the next time my heart breaks in two, it can't be fixed. I don't even know if my heart has been fixed yet."

"Love is always a gamble."

"That's why I truly believe I am so blessed to be living in the Manor right now. I think of those three as my own, and everything else that has to do with true love can come later. When I'm ready."

"That's very mature of you, Naruto."

The blonde laughed and took another swig of sake. She and Kakashi had been passing the bottle consistently back and forth for a while now, and her head felt airy.

"You'll never believe what Itachi told me though," she said.

"What?"

Naruto smiled coyly before shaking her head. She almost fell off the chair. "No, no, I shouldn't tell you."

Kakashi wiped some sake off his mask. "Tell me."

"Nope, it's too embarrassing."

"Tell me." His voice had dropped to a playful growl.

"No!" the blonde giggled. This time she did topple over, and Kakashi's hand shot out to steady her. Naruto fell into a fit of hysterics before realizing her face was firmly pressed against Kakashi's chest.

"Oops," she said.

"Tell me."

"Okay, okay. Stop pestering me." She looked up and saw she was directly face to face with the older shinobi. His breath was warm against her cheek. "Itachi warned me that our little meeting might turn into a real date."

"Oh? And what did you say in regards to that?"

"That he was being dumb," she laughed.

"You think so?"

"Of course! It's preposterous!"

"What if it _were_ a real date?"

Naruto felt a chill run down her spine at the suddenly seductive tone in Kakashi's voice, and she stared at him. His one black eye was clouded with drunkenness and lust. She was then aware of his hands holding onto her waist, and heat consumed her. It had been so long since the last time she went on a date, so long that she had forgotten what it was like to want a man, but right now, at this moment, she knew exactly what she wanted. And from the glazed look in his eyes, she had a pretty good guess of what was going through his mind.

"Kakashi..."

Her hand came to cup his face, both of them marveling at the sensation of the touch, before her fingers slipped into his mask, only to slowly pull the black cloth downwards. The next thing she knew, his lips were hotly pressed against hers. She purred into the kiss, her arms coming around to wrap his neck, drawing him closer. His hands began mapping out her curves, going up and down in a tantalizing motion.

"Naruto." His speech was slurred by the alcohol in his system. "Are you sure?"

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back into another fierce kiss. Kakashi's hands were now toying with the bra outline of her back, and she could barely hold on any longer.

"It's just sex," she murmured as her mind exploded with pleasures. "I'm a big girl. Do you want to take this to your apartment?"

Kakashi didn't need a second invitation. He threw a slab of bills down on the counter before picking the blonde up bridal style.

"Let's go."

**XXX**

Naruto had barely hit the bed before she felt Kakashi tugging desperately at her skirt. She moaned as her clothing slipped smoothly off her legs, skirt and panties included. She had to give it to the man, he didn't waste any effort playing games. But Naruto didn't have time for any other thought; two fingers were immediately thrusted into her entrance, and the sensation drove her wild.

"Kakashi!" she gasped.

He kept fingering her, adding a third finger and then a fourth. She was dripping wet, and she couldn't think of anything but those fingers, moving in and out in the most pleasuring motion her body had ever felt. She twisted and thrashed on the bed, moaning and groaning without shame.

"Faster, faster!"

And he obliged. She could feel the build up, and he knew she was close. He was almost fisting her, but she was enjoying every second of his handjob. A sudden spasm went through her body and she came, an involuntary yell escaping her lips. She was gasping and whimpering, but he didn't stop his fingers.

"Turn over," he whispered.

She eagerly obeyed his order, and as she was pressed on the bed, she heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down. She shivered in anticipation.

"The condoms are in that drawer in front of you," he said. "Can you grab one?"

"You don't need it."

Kakashi gently rubbed Naruto's back. He kissed her there softly. "Naruto, I get that we are both very drunk right now and we will really regret doing this in the morning, but I don't think we are ready for a kid."

"No. You don't need it."

Something in Naruto's voice warned Kakashi to not press the matter any further, and the hard-on he had could not wait any longer. Without another word, he thrust his throbbing cock into her dripping entrance, eliciting loud moans from both shinobi. He then spanked her, causing her to yell out in protest, but that yell quickly turned into wanton groans as he quickened his pace, each thrust gaining more and more force.

"Oh fuck!" she screamed as she felt herself come a second time. She had forgotten how amazing sex felt. Every part of her was on fire. "More! Please, Kakashi, please!"

And he gave her more.

By the time Kakashi finished, Naruto was up to her fourth orgasm. He collapsed on the bed next to her, panting a little from the rigorous exercise but rather satisfied at the sex they both just shared. She turned around to face him, out of breath as well, but she smiled warmly at the man.

"You're good."

"Thanks," he mumbled. He yawned tiredly. "I hope you won't hate me for this in the morning."

She laughed. "I had less to drink than you."

"Doubtful."

"I'm heading back now."

"No..." Kakashi's voice was getting more and more muffled from drowsiness with each passing second.

"I promised I'll get home with no trouble."

"Not safe."

"Kyuubi won't let anything happen to me."

Kakashi weakly grabbed Naruto's arm as his eyelids fell closed. "Naruto..."

"Good night, Kakashi." She lightly kissed him on the forehead before pulling on her panties and skirt, trying to ignore the small pounding in her head that foreshadowed a huge, oncoming headache in a few hours.

**XXX**

Naruto took a long bath in the bathroom farthest away from the bedrooms, hoping the sound of the shower wouldn't wake the kids. She sighed into the warmth, enjoying the steam that rose from the water. She felt a tug at the edges of her conscious, and she knew Kyuubi wanted to talk. The blonde groaned before closing her eyes and focusing all attention to that corner of her mind where the fox demon awaited.

_What?_ she thought.

**Hatake Kakashi? Out of everyone, you chose your father's student? Your own teacher?**

_You don't seem pissed about it._

The fox demon snorted. **He's a strong shinobi. I respect him.**

_Then what? _

**Are you sure you're ready to engage in these meaningless sexual activities? I know what Itachi told you, but in your fragile condition -**

_I am not fragile,_ she growled.

**Naruto, you're still hurting about Kiba.**

She stayed quiet for a moment._ I don't know what I should do._

**Just be careful, kit.**

_I will. Thank you. _Naruto looked up at the fox curiously. _You look like you have more to say._

**You idiot. You always forget. Do you not know tomorrow's date?**

_No. Since when did you care about dates?_

**Tomorrow is your birthday.**

Naruto immediately stilled. Her eyes widened, for she had indeed forgotten her own birthday.

_It's the ninth of October already?_

**Yes. **The fox sounded exasperated. **You never remember. **

_Oh..._

There was a moment as Naruto tried to recollect her thoughts.

_Thank you, Kurama._

**I want you to do something for yourself this year. **

_Like what?_

**Anything. You've been wearing yourself down. I want you to go out and have fun. Take the damn day off.**

_You can't just take a day off from being a parent. It's a lifetime job._

**I don't care. You only need to ask. Someone will be willing to help you out for a day.**

Naruto's eyes began to water. _ Why are you doing this?_

**Why? Because you deserve it, brat. **The fox demon growled menacingly before adding, **Because I want your twenty-ninth birthday to be special.**

_Oh Kyuubi..._

**Save it. Just listen to me. You're getting premature wrinkles.**

_Am not!_

**You humans are so weak.**

And with that, Kyuubi broke the connection.

Naruto finished the rest of her bath deep in thought. She was extremely touched at Kyuubi's thoughtfulness. It's true that for the past few years, her birthdays had come and gone without much notice. Now that she was in Konoha, she did have the time to spend a day doing something special. But the problem was, she didn't know _what_.

She hurriedly dried herself with an orange towel and slipped into a nightgown. The chill air made her shiver. She turned off the lights and entered into the hall, trying to make as little noise as possible. The Manor was eerie at night, so she quickened her pace. Soon she came to Itachi's room, and quieter than a mouse, she slid his door open and gracefully eased herself in.

The Uchiha had always been a light sleeper, but today he seemed to be deep in slumber. She felt bad at having to wake him up and debated for a moment whether to save the conversation until the morning. But her loneliness got the better of her and she walked to his bed, gently slipping into his covers. He grunted sleepily.

"Itachi," she whispered fondly, running a hand through his silky hair. "I'm home."

"What time... is it?" His voice dripped with sleepiness. He yawned before his arm came to wrap around her waist. "Welcome home."

"I think it's three or four in the morning. I didn't check."

"Did anything happen?"

"Umm..." Naruto said slowly. She felt too embarrassed to look at Itachi's direction. "We kinda got drunk and shit happened. I ended up sleeping with him."

Itachi cracked both eyes open, carefully analyzing the uncomfortable blonde. "Are you okay?"

She scowled. "I'm not a lovestruck teenager."

"You know that's not what I meant."

Her scowl faded, and her eyes became sad. "I don't know. What am I doing? I feel guilty, and - "

"You're not cheating on anyone."

Naruto flinched. "It's still wrong... It should be wrong."

Itachi held firmly onto the blonde. "You know twelve months without hearing any news of a shinobi - "

"Makes them either missing or deceased," Naruto finished flatly. "Itachi, I know. Tsunade-baachan already told me that I should move on. That I have to move on." She recalled that meeting in the Hokage's office when Tsunade sadly explained that the missing or deceased status automatically invalidated Naruto's engagement. Naruto had been livid at such a notion, but Tsunade then pointed out that since Kiba was missing for almost a year, the best case scenario meant he was probably captured by the enemy and now held prisoner. Due to the sworn loyalty shinobi make to Konoha, any ties, even marital, are severed in such cases unless rescue teams were being dispatched to retrieve the captured shinobi. But that was impossible since no one knew where were the missing shinobi were. And obviously, the second status didn't need any explaining. Naruto knew what deceased meant.

"Naruto, I'm sure he is still alive. I'm sure all of them are."

"Then I shouldn't be forced to give up our relationship," Naruto bitterly retorted.

"It's the shinobi law."

"Fuck that."

Itachi stroked Naruto's hair in comfort. "Hang in there, little one. Sleep now. You'll feel better in the morning." He noticed her shift slightly. "Is there something else on your mind?"

The blonde cleared her throat. "Well, I was wondering if you were free tomorrow. On the tenth."

"Naruto, I can't. I have a new mission starting that day."

Naruto couldn't keep her disappointment from showing. "Oh... Never mind, it's okay."

"No..." Itachi was confused. "No, it's not okay. Naruto, what's the matter?"

"Nothing!"

"Tell me."

"No, really, don't worry about it."

Itachi forced Naruto to look at him in the eye. "Uzumaki Naruto."

"It's my birthday tomorrow."

He was stunned. "Why did you never tell me?"

"I forgot."

"Pardon?"

"Kyuubi reminded me."

Itachi became more and more perplexed by the second. "That's very considerate of him."

"Yeah, I know." The blonde smiled. "It's okay. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal, foolish one. I'll have a talk with Hokage-sama and see if someone else can take my spot."

Now it was Naruto's turn to sound exasperated. "Brother, there is no one that can take _your _spot. Forget it. Don't you dare bring this up with baa-chan. It'll send the ANBU headquarters into chaos. They need you."

"But - "

"But nothing." Naruto hugged the Uchiha. "Thank you so much, but I'll be fine. I can always just ask someone else."

"Promise me that you will do something special."

"Now you sound just like Kyuubi."

"Promise me." Itachi placed both hands on her shoulders. "I'll find someone to take care of the kids. You start planning what you want to do."

Naruto gave the man a lopsided smile. "Thank you. But I really don't know who else I'd want to spend a whole day with."

"Kakashi?"

"Oh God!" Naruto groaned. "You want me to go spend my birthday with a man who I just had meaningless sex with? Do you _want _to destroy my relationship with him?"

"It was worth a shot."

"Not really!"

"You'll figure it out. Sleep. It's way too late in the night to think."

Naruto sighed, but she listened to the Uchiha. She made herself comfortable next to him, and soon enough, her eyes were closing as she slowly fell into a slumber.

"Naruto."

"Mmmm?"

"What do you want as a birthday present?"

The blonde fell asleep with a soft smile on her face.

**XXX**

"Shiro-chan?"

The little boy quickly put down the book he was reading and looked at the doorway, where Naruto stood. He grinned at her and clapped his small hands in excitement.

"Hey, good morning to you too!" she said. She walked over to the child and sat down on his bed. "What are you reading?""

He held up a thick book titled "Konoha Wars of the Past."

"Wow, baby, that is way beyond your years!"

Ryūshiro's grin only grew bigger.

"Shiro-chan, I need to talk to you about something. You know how we were supposed to go on a fun trip tomorrow?"

The boy nodded furiously.

"Well, something came up and I'm going to be busy tomorrow." Naruto saw Ryūshiro's face drop in disappointment. "No, no, I mean I was wondering if we could move our play date to today! Would that be okay with you?"

He jumped up and gave Naruto a big hug.

The blonde laughed warmly. "Great! Now we need to go tell your father that he's going to be in charge of Momo. I don't think he's going to like that very much."

Ryūshiro's face paled. The little boy inwardly shook as he imagined the interaction between his mother and father. It was not going to be pretty.

The two quickly came to Sasuke's door. Naruto gently knocked twice.

"Come in."

Naruto slid the door open without further hesitation. Sasuke had his back facing the door as he stood by the window, gazing off in the distance. His room was clean and empty, not to mention dim. There were no personal items in sight. Even his bed seemed like no one has slept in there for years.

"Morning, Sasuke."

The Uchiha turned around and directed two black eyes at the blonde. He seemed angry, and Naruto wondered distractedly if he were still pissed at the marriage proposal she had made to Itachi. Not that she cared.

"Your son and I will be going out all of today. That leaves you in charge of Momo."

"Where is she?"

"Still sleeping."

Sasuke's expression was unreadable. "I thought you two were going out tomorrow."

"Something came up."

"What did?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "Talkative today, aren't we?"

Sasuke glared, but he didn't say anything. He then redirected his gaze back to the window, indicating that the conversation was now over.

"C'mon, angel," Naruto whispered to Shiro. "We're done here."

After informing Kaira and Itachi of their absence, Naruto and Shiro headed for the heart of Konoha. The little boy skipped happily next to Naruto, although he never let go of his firm grip on her hand. Naruto smiled warmly, noticing how his face was flushed pink from excitement. She made sure she went out of her way every week to spend some extra time with the five-year-old. Out of the three, Ryūshiro was affected the most by Sakura's neglect. Momo had been too young to remember and Kaira knew to avoid her aunt at all times, but poor Ryūshiro, who wanted nothing but love and acceptance, only received physical and mental abuse from the crazed woman. The physical injuries of his ordeal had long healed, but Naruto believed Ryūshiro still suffered psychological traumas, as seen in his stunted growth and inability to speak.

And although Naruto couldn't quite understand it herself, she felt a special bond of intimacy with the boy. Every time she looked at him, an all-consuming protective feeling would rise from her chest, and she wanted nothing but to draw him into her embrace, shielding him from whatever trials and tribulations he would have to face in the shinobi world. To Kaira and Momo, she was their surrogate mother, and there were instances when she knew she could never replace their biological mothers. Kaira was already a teenager, and Momo... Momo's green eyes were a constant reminder of Sakura, whom Naruto knew she would have to contact someday. But towards Ryūshiro, there was an unexplainable throb of maternal instincts that would arise whenever she was around him. A part of her felt like she was his mother and he was her son, but she knew it was impossible. She clamped all of those foolish thoughts and tried to burn them away with the facts of reality.

But...

Even then, Naruto could not help but notice that Ryūshiro resembled nothing of Sakura. He was the splitting image of his dad; beautiful, pale and flawless. Yet his personality differed greatly from Sakura's and Sasuke's, and Naruto wondered at this mystery.

A tug at her hand broke Naruto out of her brooding.

"Yeah, kiddo?"

Ryūshiro pointed to a snack stand.

"Of course!" Naruto pulled some bills out of her pockets before dropping them into the boy's outstretched hands. "Go for it."

Ryūshiro pointed to Naruto and frowned.

"What do I want?" Naruto laughed freely. "Surprise me!"

A couple minutes later, Ryūshiro returned with two riceballs and a large lollipop. Much to her surprise, Naruto was given the lollipop as well as a riceball.

"What?" Naruto asked. "You didn't buy the lollipop for yourself?"

Ryūshiro shook his head, making a face.

"You don't... like sweets?"

Ryūshiro nodded his head at the question.

"Wow, you are just like your father. He will eat nothing but riceballs and tomatoes - "

There was a brief silence as Naruto choked on her sentence. Ryūshiro stared at the blonde, noticing the glazed look in Naruto's blue eyes as she fought to regain her composure.

"Never mind, Ryūshiro." Naruto hurriedly took a big bite of the riceball. "This is delicious! Thank you, my love." The blonde didn't see the sad look on Ryūshiro's face as they continued their walk.

The rest of the day passed by in a happy blur. Naruto first took Ryūshiro to a children's park, where he spent more than two hours on the swings silently laughing as Naruto pushed him. They even rotated shifts. It was Naruto's turn to laugh as she watched Ryūshiro become red with exertion as he struggled to push the blonde on the swings.

"Don't hurt yourself there, big shot!"

After playing on the swings, they made sand angels in the sandbox, although Naruto couldn't exactly fit in the small area. Ryūshiro then built a small sandcastle. He delicately crafted a prince and a princess, to which he pointed at Naruto, telling her in his silent way that he thought she was royalty.

She grinned warmly and kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Aww, baby, you are my prince!"

But the highlight of Ryūshiro's day came when Naruto brought him into a huge, intricately designed building. He wondered what business Naruto possibility could've had in the Hokage Headquarters, and he fearfully latched onto Naruto as they came into the presence of none other than Tsunade-sama herself.

"What? Brat, what are you doing here?"

"The question is what are _you_ doing here, baa-chan, all sober?" came the flippant remark.

Tsunade barely caught herself from throwing a chair at Naruto when she noticed Ryūshiro just in time.

"Is that Sasuke's..."

Naruto beamed before nudging Ryūshiro forward with her foot. "Shiro-chan, this is your fairy great-godmother. Go on, give Tsunada-baachan a hug."

Shiro-chan shyly made his way to Tsunade's desk where he was crushed into a warm embrace.

"Well, you are every bit an angel as the rumors claim you to be!" Tsunade exclaimed. She brought the blushing boy to her lap. "Look at you! You are so precious." The Hokage directed her gaze to Naruto. "Why didn't you bring him to me earlier?"

Naruto's cerulean eyes glistened with mischief. "Well, I assumed that the Hokage-sama would be busy, but clearly I thought wrong."

Tsunade snorted. "What do you want?"

"A mission."

"A - _what_?" Tsunade's voice was beyond baffled.

Naruto raised her head determinedly. "I think Ryūshiro is more than capable of completing a D-rank mission."

"Naruto, you know I can't give missions to anyone but those graduated from the - " Tsunade immediately saw the burning excitement in the Uchiha boy's black eyes, and she sighed in defeat. "Damn you, Naruto."

"Language, baa-chan."

And for the rest of the afternoon, Naruto and Ryūshiro were crowned the task of painting one of the larger fences in the village. But the tediousness of the mission never occurred to Ryūshiro. Instead the boy's chest puffed out in pride and importance as he completed the task, and Naruto's heart burst with joy. She remembered how much she wanted to be given shinobi missions as a kid, and she had a hunch that Ryūshiro held the same desire. She wasn't disappointed.

By the end of the day, both their clothes were stained white from the paint, but the fire in Ryūshiro's eyes never dimmed.

"You're going to be a great ninja some day," Naruto stated proudly. "I know it."

Ryūshiro didn't need words to express the passion in his heart as he vowed to live up to Naruto's promise.

Itachi greeted the two at the doorway when they came in. He immediately took note of the white paint stuck in Ryūshiro's hair and clothes.

"Ryūshiro, you look just like a white dragon," the Uchiha stated with much amusement. "What were you up to?"

Naruto could hardly keep her excitement suppressed. "This ninja here just completed his first mission! How about that, Itachi!"

Ryūshiro's grin almost split his chubby face in two. He raised his chin and glowed with pride.

"Whaaaat!" Kaira exclaimed as she entered the room. She ran to Ryūshiro and grabbed the boy in a bear hug. "Brother, that is exciting! How did you manage to get your hands on a shinobi mission?"

Naruto winked. "I payed Godaime-baachan a visit."

"Mother..." Now Kaira was plain flabbergasted. "You know the Hokaga-sama?"

"Of course. She's my godmother."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I did not know you had such a relationship with Tsunade-sama."

The blonde shrugged. "Well, my dad and mom made Jiraiya my godfather, so I automatically assumed Tsunade-baachan would be my godmother. Which makes her your guardian as well, kids."

"That's amazing!" Kaira's eyes shone. "I never thought I'd be related to a Hokage!"

Naruto laughed freely. "It's definitely a title to live up to! Which Shiro-chan here definitely did today."

"You did well," Itachi praised, placing a hand on Ryūshiro's head.

"Where's Momo?" Naruto asked.

"With Sasuke-san," Kaira answered. "We were cooking dinner. Are you guys hungry?"

"Oh, you bet we are!" Naruto said. "Wait for us. We'll be right back after we shower!" And with those words, the blonde and small boy quickly sprinted for the bathrooms, leaving an amused father and daughter in their wake.

**XXX**

Naruto sighed as she sat on her bed, upset that she still could not decide on her plans for tomorrow. The time was ticking, but nothing came to mind. She could feel Kyuubi's restlessness in her mind, and she knew he was not happy.

"Mother?"

Naruto's head shot up to stare at a very uncomfortable Kaira in the doorway.

"Kaira! Come in."

The Uchiha girl made her way to Naruto. "Sorry to bother you, Mother."

"You are not bothering me!" Naruto noticed that Kaira was clutching onto a bindered book. "What is that you're holding?"

"It's what I came to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"I..." Kaira hesitated. "Father told me you were going to be gone tomorrow."

"Yes, but not gone forever, Kaira, only - "

"I know," the girl cut in hastily. "I know you're not leaving. I realized that awhile ago. I know that you're just taking a day off."

Naruto blinked. "My dear, do you not - "

"No, Mother, that's not what I mean either!" Kaira shook her head in frustration. The words she wanted could not come to her. "You deserve a break. Really."

"Then..."

"It's about Shiro-chan."

"What?"

"Mother, I really don't know if I should place this heavy burden on you."

Naruto firmly grabbed Kaira's shoulders and made the Uchiha girl stare her straight in the eye. "Baby, _anything_ and everything that concerns you three is something that I definitely must know about."

Kaira sighed before handing over the bindered book. "This is Ryūshiro's written diary from the Academy. The kids are expected to write something in there every day. It's supposed to help literary skills for a ninja. Not that we really need it as shinobi... But he left it open one day and I came to read a couple entries." The Uchiha girl flipped to a certain page.

It was Ryūshiro's handwriting, of that Naruto was certain. Ryūshiro's English grade was the highest of the class, so Naruto never worried for him in that aspect. She noticed the date on the top of the page that marked the entry a few weeks old.

_Dear book,_

_Last week, Daddy got home from his mission. I did not see him in a long time. I think he still hates me. When Mommy came home, she did not like him either. Later she broke the dinner table because he made her mad. But Uncle Itachi made them say sorry and then we all went to dinner. It was nice. I cannot remember the last time I had dinner with Daddy. Momo liked him a lot, but she also liked Mommy. I can tell Mommy did not like Daddy even after they apologized to each other. I am confused. Does this mean I cannot like Daddy either? I do not like the pink haired lady, but I like my yellow haired mother. I want to like my Daddy but I will not if he makes Mommy sad. Dinner finished weirdly. Mommy only talked to Uncle Itachi. Daddy stayed quiet._

Naruto felt tears watering in her eyes as she finished the last sentence of the excerpt. But Kaira was grim as she flipped to another page.

"Mother, there's more."

_I had a nightmare last night. I woke up in someone's arms, but it was not Mommy. It was Daddy. He told me it was just a dream and he asked me what happened. I tried to show him that the pink haired lady was hitting me. Daddy got sad and told me he was sorry. He told me he will never let that happen anymore. I believe him. But now I am worried. Will I have to choose between Mommy and Daddy some day?_

Kaira flipped to present day. There was only one quickly scribbled sentence.

_Why does my mommy hate my daddy?_

Naruto felt her heart break, and she could not stop the trail of tears from running down her cheeks. "Oh my god," the blonde whispered. "I had no idea..."

"Mother." Kaira hugged Naruto. "I know you hate Sasuke-san because he was not there for us when Sakura abused Momo and Shiro-chan, but it's confusing Shiro-chan. He senses it, and it's making him so conflicted. He is not old enough like me to understand that sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to, and he is not young enough like Momo to not see through your pretending."

The truth in Kaira's words hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.

"You forgave my father," Kaira pleaded. "Maybe it is possible for you to someday forgive my uncle as well? He is not a bad man. He is hurting, and I do not know why. But ever since you came into our family, he has treated us children with nothing but kindness and a gentle hand. I know Sasuke-san is not good with words, but Mother... please. I can't see Shiro-chan suffer like this anymore."

"What are you suggesting, my child?"

"Can you and Sasuke-san go out on a date tomorrow?"

Naruto stilled, and her shocked eyes flew to meet Kaira's. "What?"

"Not a romantic date," Kaira then said hastily. "But a hang-out. It will be good for Shiro-chan and Momo to see their parents spending time together."

"I..."

"I already asked Sasuke-san if he had ANBU duties tomorrow, and he said he didn't. Mother, you have no idea how much this would - "

"Child." Naruto's hand came to cup Kaira's cheek. Love and adoration swirled in Naruto's cerulean eyes, and the blonde smiled softly. "I would like that."

"Oh Mother!"

Kaira tackled Naruto as gratitude swept through the girl's being.

Naruto laughed and wiped away her tears. "I suppose I will go ask Sasuke right now if he'll spend time with me tomorrow."

"One more thing, Mother."

"Yes?"

Kaira timidly pulled a camera out of her pockets. "I just think... it would be a good idea if you could show Shiro-chan some pictures. It would make him very happy."

Naruto took the camera out of Kaira's hands and smiled. "Of course I will. Don't you worry."

**XXX**

Naruto knocked on Sasuke's door for the second time that day.

"Come in."

The blonde pulled the door aside and immediately saw Sasuke as he lay lazily on his bed... shirtless. His chest was extremely cut, and his skin was as flawless as it had ever been. Naruto forced herself to not be sidetracked by such a sight.

"Sasuke."

"Did Momo wake up?"

"No..." The blonde stepped forward and gently slid the door behind her. She awkwardly stood there, not sure how she wanted to go about addressing this issue.

"It's almost midnight," he said.

"Yeah, I know."_  
_

Sasuke sat up and stared at the blonde, genuinely intrigued by her presence. He had never seen her so vulnerable before. Most of the time she would be filled with so much hostility that two angry, flashing blue eyes was all he could notice of her. But tonight, something was different.

"Gee, I really don't know how to say this," the blonde muttered. Her body was stiff as a board.

"Getting to the point would be a start," Sasuke stated blankly.

Naruto scowled, her two red whiskered cheeks turning an even darker shade. "Kaira told me you were free tomorrow."

"Yes."

"What do you do on your free days?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you beating around the bush?"

"Would you like... to spend tomorrow with me?"

The Uchiha froze. He couldn't possibly have heard right.

Naruto sounded absolutely miserable. "It's Kaira's idea, don't get me wrong. But Shiro-chan has been wondering why there seemed to be a big disconnect between you and me, and I don't want to keep hurting him."

The blonde walked over to Sasuke and handed him the diary. She opened it to the same pages Kaira had, and she silently watched as Sasuke read over it. His expression was indiscernible.

"I see."

"So?"

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." Sasuke gave back the diary to Naruto. "What about Momo? Ryūshiro gets off school at three and Kaira's Genin training changes every day."

"Your brother said he took care of that. I think he asked Ino to make Genin training at the Manor. And she'll probably pick up Shiro-chan herself."

"Hn."

There was a long awkward pause before Naruto cleared her throat.

"Umm... Kaira wants us to take pictures." The blonde showed Sasuke Kaira's camera. "For Shiro-chan to look at later."

"Hn."

"Well... I mean, if we're going to do this, we should do a good job at it."

"What are you saying?"

The blonde looked like she wanted to spontaneously combust right there and then. "We should match."

"What?" Sasuke blinked.

"We should match. Like real couples do." Naruto's face was as red as a tomato. "I suggest blue."

Sasuke stared at the blonde. "Blue... sounds good."

"_Great_," the blonde said hastily, whipping around to run out of the room.

The big Grandfather clock in Sasuke's room suddenly struck twelve, and a soft melody came from its interiors.

"Wait."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as she felt Sasuke grab her arm. She slowly turned to face him, and she stared. He looked conflicted, as if there was something he wanted to say to her. Blue eyes met black. The clock's melody kept playing, but Sasuke did not say anything.

"Never mind," he then said, letting go of her arm. He looked away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"O-okay."

Naruto stumbled out of the room, and she realized her body was shaking uncontrollably from that encounter. She wondered what exactly did Uchiha Sasuke want to tell her. So many theories and ideas ran through her mind for the rest of the night, and Naruto tossed and turned for over an hour on her bed before she finally fell into a restless slumber.

Deep in her consciousness, unbeknownst to the blonde, a fox demon purred in satisfaction.

* * *

Hey everyone! here is the completed chapter! Thank you for being so patient.

Eep! I am pretty excited to write the next chapter. I'm not even sure how these two characters will play out, but hopefully something good with come out of it... right?!

I'm trying to push the plot of the story along a lot faster than I originally intended. It's been two years already and my mind is burning with the idea of another story. But don't worry, I won't start another one until I have this fanfic finished. I haven't figured out the ending yet, so there might be a lot of changes. bear with me!

What do you guys think Sasuke wanted to tell Naruto? Leave your answers in a review!


	10. Chapter 9: Happy Birthday, Naruto I

Yay! :)

thanks for reading

* * *

**Chapter 9: Happy Birthday, Naruto (Part I)**

* * *

Naruto stared at the mirror. She had been up since five am, digging through her closet like a madman to find the appropriate attire. But nothing fell to her liking. The discarded clothes piled up in humongous stacks on her bed, and she had given up all hope. What outfit could even begin to express the amount of turmoil and apprehension she felt towards this date? It seemed that no matter how far she tried to run away from Sasuke, there would always be hidden factors that forced them together. First Itachi, now Kaira and Shiro. A huge part of her was begging to forget this foolishness, to flake, to turn tail, to leave Konoha. What did she ever do in her past lives to bring such misfortune upon herself?

The blonde grit her teeth in frustration and dove for her bed, burying her face deep into her pillow as she despaired.

There was a hesitant knock at her door.

"Naruto?"

Itachi entered the room. He quickly took in the disarray of clothes that had been flung in every direction possible before smiling gently, "Little one, it is too early for spring cleaning."

Naruto sat up on her bed, hugging her orange pillow tightly. "Do you have to go?"

"I'd stay, but you would not let me."

The blonde sighed in dejection. "Konoha needs you badly. More than I do."

"That can be argued." Itachi made his way to Naruto's side, where he took a seat next to her and gently brushed away the bangs that framed her face. "I will miss you."

"How long will you be gone?"

"At least a week."

"What!" Naruto angrily crossed her arms. "Itachi, are they throwing you on every harebrained mission they can think of? What about Sasuke? He's not gone nearly as much as you are."

"My baby brother is given missions that are completed with a team. But I am more of a solo act."

"Why?"

"I have been given one-man missions since I can remember."

"I think that's stupid."

"I don't mind."

Naruto's blue eyes flashed irritably as she snapped, "You're not assertive enough. Who knew the great and mighty Uchiha Itachi is actually a pushover? You're being weak." The blonde's expression softened, however, when Itachi laughed freely, and she recognized the Uchiha's light spirits. "Why are you here so early in the morning?"

"It is your birthday," Itachi replied. His obsidian eyes gleamed. "I wanted to see you before I left."

Naruto couldn't hold back her smile as she became infected with the Uchiha's good mood, and she climbed into his lap.

"I love you," she said.

He brushed his lips against her forehead in response. "I have a present."

"Itachi! You did not - "

"Of course I got you a present. Open it." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and placed it deftly in Naruto's hand.

The box itself was intricately crafted, and Naruto's hands trembled as she undid the pink bow. Slowly she took off the lid, and she stared at the beautiful anklet gleaming inside. A gasp fell from her lips.

"I-Itachi..."

"Do you like it?" Itachi reached into the box and pulled the anklet out. Its jewels glittered in the light, making it a mesmerizing sight to behold. "This anklet has been passed down in my family for generations. My mother used to wear it."

"I can't have it!" Naruto immediately said, horrified. "Itachi, I can't accept this present. It's your heirloom."

"I don't suppose I can wear it, could I?"

"Give it to Kaira."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "She's ten, Naruto. And you are her mother, so by all means, this is yours to keep."

"Itachi - "

"Please don't make this difficult."

Blowing out a frustrated breath but knowing full well that she had lost the argument, Naruto brought her left leg up and watched in wonder as Itachi hooked the anklet on securely. She was dazzled by its delicate yet simple design, and she saw the essence of the Uchiha clan captured in its beauty.

"I love it," she said. "Thank you."

"Weak, am I?"

Naruto scowled fiercely, but she quickly fell into a fit of small giggles as she saw the smirk on Itachi's lips. Itachi watched her lovingly before a rare grin broke upon his handsome face, and Naruto's heart melted.

"I must've done something right," she said as she sat up to face the man once more, "to have you here with me today." She threw her arms around his neck. "God bless you, Uchiha Itachi."

"Don't make this about me," he said. "It's your birthday." He looked at the blonde still in her pajamas. "I thought you were going out."

"I am!" Naruto said. "I never break my promises. Do you doubt me?"

"No."

"Then trust me."

Itachi studied the blonde's uncomfortable expression and the way she nervously twiddled her thumbs. "What else is bothering you?"

"I..."

"What is it?"

Naruto stayed silent, her eyes unfocused as she stared into space. She then tucked her hair behind an ear and twisted the mane of blond tresses. Another moment passed before she shifted and cleared her throat.

"I dreamed about Kiba last night," Naruto confessed quietly. She looked up and saw the worry in Itachi's face. "It's okay, I'm okay."

Itachi didn't believe her for a second. Last night's conversation was still fresh in his mind. "I can take today off if you ask, Naruto."

She poked him in the chest. "And I'm not going to because that would be selfish of me and destructive to all of Konoha. Now stop tempting me. I won't change my mind no matter what you say. Or how worried you are." She crossed her arms. "You're going to be late, Itachi."

"I still have five more minutes."

"Well..." the blonde said. "If you would like to do me a favor, help me pick an outfit. I really don't know what to wear."

"Fair enough." Itachi stood up gracefully and made his way to her closet. Naruto watched the Uchiha affectionately as he combed through the selections. His face was emotionless as he concentrated on his task. Her mass of clothes was not near as close as the amount most Konoha women possessed - more than half of Naruto's attire consisted of t-shirts and shorts - and Itachi found himself pressing deeper and deeper into the back of the closet until something finally caught his eye. He reached for the farthest item hanging on the rack, and with interest in his normally impassive eyes, he brought it out into the open.

Naruto could not help the sharp intake of breath when she saw the dress Itachi was now holding in his hands, but the Uchiha was too preoccupied to notice.

It was a gorgeous soft blue dress, and its condition looked almost new. There was a white sash ribboned across the middle, and the v-cut neckline pronounced the elegance of its figure. The material was high quality, soft as silk and durable as nylon. There was no doubt the price of the dress would've stunned even the Uchiha Clan, rich as they were.

"Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.

Naruto kept her gaze focused on the ground. "It's my mother's," she said.

"Naruto." There was a strange inflection in the Uchiha's voice that Naruto could not identify. "This dress is the exact same shade of blue as your eyes."

Naruto bit down hard on her bottom lip, and she was grateful that she had been sitting on the bed, for she felt her legs go weak. Of all the things she had expected Itachi to say, this was not one of them.

"My mother liked to match with my father." Naruto inwardly cursed at her horrible lie, and she knew she could not fool Itachi. And judging by the way he was intensely looking at her, she didn't expect him to drop the matter either.

"Naruto..."

"Please, Itachi," she pleaded gently. "I promise to tell you someday, but not today."

Itachi nodded. He carefully placed the dress to the back of the closet before pulling out a snug white sweater and a pair of light blue skinny jeans. "These would look lovely on you."

Naruto smiled, and gratitude lined her voice when she said, "Thank you, Itachi."

He walked over to her and hugged her firmly. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"I'm sorry for being so sensitive," she responded.

He gently pulled away from her. "You won't tell me who you're going to be spending the day with?"

Naruto smiled weakly. "It's a surprise."

"Promise me you'll have fun."

"Promise me you'll be safe."

He placed his hand on the top of her head. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

She laughed. "Thank you, Itachi. Now go, before you're late!" She gave him a friendly push towards the door.

Itachi took a lock of Naruto's hair and rubbed it tenderly between his fingers, and with a ghost of a smile on his face, he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Naruto then slumped against the headrest of her bed. She felt fatigued and completely drained of energy.

**I could let you borrow some of mine**.

_Kyuubi!_

**Stop moping. **

Naruto stayed silent.

**You can't blame the Uchiha for picking the best damn thing in your closet. You brought this upon yourself, dumbass.**

_I forgot I had it._

The demon growled. **Sure you did.**

_Kyuubi, what have I gotten myself into? I don't know what to do._

**I told you before you even stepped foot inside this Manor to rethink your actions. You wouldn't listen.**

_I'm starting to forget I hate him._

**Why is that a bad thing? **

_He hurt me so much... I can never forgive him._

**What exactly did he do, chibi?**

Kyuubi saw a flash of red as memories stirred onto the surface before Naruto's conscious immediately stamped the event back into oblivion. But the fox demon didn't need a second glance to know what he saw was a pool of blood.

_That's neither here nor there, Kurama!_

The only times when Naruto used the demon's birth name like that was when she was completely on edge, and the fox knew better than to aggravate her. **Kit... you don't have to hate him to stay away from him. Just treat this like you would a mission.**

Naruto stayed glum. _I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Kyuubi._

**Happy birthday, snot.**

She smiled a small smile and slipped into the clothes that Itachi had picked. It didn't come as a surprise to her when she noticed that they were the next best things in quality after the blue dress.

**XXX**

Naruto followed Sasuke's chakra signature to the front door, where she realized that he was standing outside the Manor's big gates. Quickly grabbing a piece of bread from the table and slipping into some sneakers, she jogged her way down the front path to where Sasuke waited.

"Morning," she said.

"Hn."

She saw he was wearing a navy blue shirt and black denim jeans, and she couldn't help but comment. "So much for matching."

"You didn't say which shade of blue."

"Well obviously I didn't mean funeral colors!" Naruto said. She glared at him, but he pointedly kept his stare fixated in the opposite direction. She then took note of the rigidity in his body language and the tension in his shoulders, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked.

He didn't bat an eyelid. "Don't flatter yourself."

She grit her teeth in frustration, but remembering Kaira's words, she counted to ten in her head and released her anger. "I guess we can be yin and yang," she offered.

He didn't say anything.

"Sasuke, let's pretend like we're good friends, just for today. For the kids."

The expression in his face had still yet to change, but he relaxed his shoulders somewhat. "Where to?"

"I don't know." She saw a flash of annoyance cross Sasuke's face, and she scowled. "This is so stupid. I'm turning twenty-six, it should hardly be a celebration. Let's just go home and get two people to henge into us and I'll snap some quick shots to show the babies."

Sasuke was quiet for a few seconds before he shifted his gaze to stare at the horizon. "There's a small town nearby that recently opened in the past ten years."

"And?"

"They have horseback riding."

Naruto felt her jaw drop. "Horses?" To a shinobi, horses were things from stories and picture books. Naruto had always wanted to ride a stallion, but these animals only lived in the plains, and having grown up in Konoha and its woods all her life, she had never even gotten the chance to see one. "Do you really mean horses?"

"Hn."

Naruto remembered irritably that Sasuke was never one to repeat himself. "I would like to visit. Do you know the way?"

Without a word, Sasuke jumped onto a tree branch, and grumbling darkly to herself, Naruto followed.

**XXX**

They arrived at the town shortly before noon. After an hour of leaping unceremoniously through treetops and dodging large tree branches obscuring the path, Naruto found herself in a grumpy mood.

"Goddammit, Sasuke," she muttered as she plucked dead leaves out of her long blond tresses, "can't you have any consideration for me? I'm not wearing ninja attire and I'm not near as graceful as you are." She patted her white sweater, which had black dirt patches smudged all over. "This will take forever to clean out!"

The Uchiha didn't say a word as he made his way to the village gate.

It was a quaint town, and although the village was still in the Land of Fire and under Konoha's protection, there were almost no sign of shinobi presence. The civilians were kind and carefree as they moved about doing their daily business, and Naruto notice that the nearby restaurants were getting ready to serve lunch.

"Sasuke, can we stop for a quick meal?" she asked. He was quite a distance ahead of her and she had been trudging behind his back the whole time, but she knew he had heard her. "That looks like a nice place."

Sasuke turned to see where the blonde had pointed before nodding once. He was about to walk towards the restaurant when he felt the blonde grab his wrist.

"Wait," Naruto said. She blushed and quickly released his arm. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." She cleared her throat. "I'm going to find a hidden photographer."

"A what." If Sasuke's voice had any less emotion, he would've been dead.

"One of those photography agencies. You know, for spying and behind the scenes work." Naruto saw that Sasuke didn't understand, and she went on to explain. "Some people really like to take pictures of special days and events, but sometimes, they want to take pictures of their friends without being seen or noticed. That's where these secret photo companies come into play. I think a lot of agents actually have shinobi backgrounds, possibly even kekkei genkai, since they're really really hard to spot."

"You used one before?"

"I've never hired one, but someone once payed an agent to follow me and Gaa - " Naruto choked on her words and coughed loudly. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Sasuke seemed to have guessed what she meant to say, and his fists were definitely clenched angrily at his sides. "Well, basically they take really good pictures and I think it would be nice for us to spend the day without worrying about taking the pictures ourselves."

"Hn."

"Go in and get a table for us, I'll be back as soon as I can! I think we passed by a shop earlier." She waved at him and turned to leave, hoping that in the time she was gone, Sasuke would have calmed down. "Sheesh, he has absolutely no right to be angry," she hissed quietly to herself.

Finding the photography agency wasn't hard, but Naruto knew she wanted to hire the best agent for the job; it would be extremely awkward if she and Sasuke noticed a random stranger in the room snapping photos of them. To be honest, there were probably no agents for miles around that could take pictures of her and Sasuke without them noticing, but Naruto prayed that the day would have enough distractions to keep their shinobi instincts busy.

"Ma'am?"

Naruto broke out of her reverie and shot the manager her best smile. "Good morning, sir, I was wondering if you have any secret agents available today?" She ruffled her hair sheepishly. "Your best agent too, I might add."

The old manager smiled warmly at the girl, before waving her towards the room in the back. "Kenta," he called out. "You have a customer."

Naruto stumbled through the doorway and almost tripped over the bench that was dangerously placed in front of the door. She heard someone chuckle in the corner and her attention snapped to the only other person in the room. He had catlike yellow eyes, and they were hooded lazily as he swung on a hammock. His brown hair was tied into a loose ponytail over his shoulder, and a long scar ran from his hairline down his left cheek.

"Hello," Naruto said weakly.

Kenta shot her a feral grin and jumped off his bed, landing silently in front of her. He was tall and lithe, and Naruto couldn't help but take a step back.

"Wow, you're a pretty one," he purred. He grabbed a strand of Naruto's hair and held it towards the light, watching the golden color glitter. "What pretty hair you have."

She twisted her hair out of his reach and glared. "I didn't come here to be complimented. The boss said you were his best agent."

The impudent man rolled his eyes. "I'm also his only agent." He took a seat on the bench and yawned, his long canine teeth glinting. The resemblance this man had to a cat was uncanny. Though, Naruto winced as she thought of Kyuubi, she wasn't one to judge.

"Can you do this job or not?" she asked peevishly.

"Such a temper," Kenta teased as he shot her a provocative grin. "Maybe someone needs a good rubbing."

Naruto felt the blood rush up to her cheeks as embarrassment engulfed her, and she whipped around to leave when Kenta grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap.

"Wh-what!" she spluttered. The blonde was about to thrust a full blown Rasengan into the man's chest when he pulled out a piece of paper from an open drawer and force it into her hands. She glanced it over and saw that it was his license at this trade, and he had scored full marks on his test.

"You used to be a shinobi," she then stated flatly. There was no other way he could've gotten a perfect score on the exam.

He shrugged nonchalantly and pressed his face into her hair, breathing in her scent. He felt her struggle. "Stop moving. This is part of the job."

"Sexually assaulting your clients? I don't think so!"

Kenta chuckled. "How else do you think I follow you around? By sight? Suppose I lose you in a crowd, hmm?"

Naruto ceased her squirming, and she frowned. "I'm sure there's another way to do it."

"Yes..." he purred again. "But I really like pretty girls." He then licked one of her cheeks before she could react.

"PERVERT!" Naruto yelled. She broke loose and jumped to her feet, about to pummel Kenta's face in, but he had already escaped to the corner of the room and was now rummaging through his cabinet's drawers for some equipment. She angrily wiped her cheek and made a face. "Were you a Konoha shinobi?"

"No," Kenta replied, his back still to her.

"What made you quit?"

"Fighting wasn't for me." He turned around to shoot her a cheeky grin. "As I said, I like girls. But you are a rare beauty. Those whisker markings on your cheeks, are they a Bloodline Limit?"

Naruto's hand self-consciously came to touch her cheek. "You could say that."

"No wonder I'm so attracted to you." He winked. "I like cats."

"I can tell," she muttered. She reached into her purse and brought out Kaira's camera. "Is this okay for the task?"

Kenta took one look at the camera before snorting. "You insult me."

"So you have your own?"

"Of course." Kenta raised his black camera up in response. Its lens were huge. "This can take crystal clear images even at a far distance. I made it myself."

Naruto was impressed. "That's pretty cool, Kenta-san."

"And what shall I call you, princess?"

She rolled her eyes. "Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Na-ru-to," Kenta repeated, having the name roll off his tongue. He grinned at the blush that appeared on Naruto's cheeks. "Who shall I be following today?"

"Me and a friend."

Kenta cocked his head to the side. "What's the point of hiring me if you already know I'm there?" he asked. "Unless you're tricking your friend into doing something bad and trying to catch the act on film. Which sounds like something only naughty girls would do..." His voice had dropped to a low purr again.

"Stop that," Naruto snapped. "Your sexual advances are tiring." She sighed and crossed her arms. "My friend's name is Sasuke, and he knows you're going to be there too."

Kenta raised an eyebrow. "There _are_ photo shoots for couples, you know." He then stood up and walked to Naruto, sniffing the air around her.

She raised her hands up defensively. "Wh-what are you doing - "

"You don't smell of another man."

Naruto's cheeks burned. "I'm not married nor am I in a relationship!" She rubbed her temples and decided to take a seat on the bench. "My daughter - "

"But you just said - "

"My _adoptive _daughter and son think we are together, and since they're too young to understand, I've resorted to going on this half-assed date."

"Are they his?"

"What?"

"Are those children Sasuke's?"

Naruto glared at Kenta. "Why does it matter if they're his or not?"

"Well, are they?"

"Yes, yes they are," she replied irately. "What's with these personal questions?"

Kenta grinned and sat down next to Naruto on the bench. "You're a good person, Naruto-chan. Your sacrifice is very noble."

Naruto's blue eyes softened. "It's not a sacrifice," she said softly. "I love them." She then shook herself out of her stupor. "Anyway, no more small talk. Now that you know of the situation, try to capture the happier moments. Not when we're pissed off or mad at each other, okay? I don't want the kids seeing any of that."

Kenta's sharp teeth flashed as he grinned. "Roger, Naruto-chan."

She took out her wallet. "Now, how much do you charge?"

Kenta's grin grew larger.

**XXX**

"The nerve of him," she muttered loudly to herself, drawing the inquisitive looks of people around her. "I don't believe it. Half the price if I sleep with him? Fucking pervert." She turned around and shook her fist in that direction. "You heard me, you manslut!" People were now definitely staring. But still, Naruto had to give it to Kenta. She honestly couldn't feel his presence - though she wasn't trying too hard - and she was assured that in due time, she and Sasuke would even forget that they were being followed by a secret agent.

She came to the restaurant where she saw Sasuke last, and the girl inwardly cried as she patted her near empty wallet. Poor Gama-chan was emaciated. She hadn't expected the photo service to be that costly, but she had no choice (according to the old manager, Kenta had already given her a thirty percent discount), and she was almost broke for the day. Lunch was probably all that she could afford.

Naruto entered the restaurant and she immediately recognized Sasuke at a window seat. Her mood lifted slightly when she realized that Sasuke would rather die than touch her, and that brought her much relief, seeing how Kenta's sexual advances were enough to scar a lifetime.

"Hey," she chirped as slid into the seat across from the Uchiha.

Sasuke looked up from the menu he held in his hands. He had not expected her to be in such a cheery mood. "It's been thirty minutes."

"I know, I'm sorry," she said as she picked up her own menu. "There were... miscalculations." A dark look flashed through Naruto's face as she remembered said 'miscalculations,' but she brightened when she began to flip through the menu. "Let's order!"

Sasuke, who had already decided on his order twenty minutes ago, studied the blonde as she read the menu. Her hair, which had been neatly brushed and straightened just earlier that morning, was now mussed and messily curled at the bottom. Her glittering white sweater was clumped with dirt patches, and her face was flushed pink from the autumn wind. She hadn't bothered to put on any makeup so the whisker markings on her cheeks were more visible than ever and her tan was a stark contrast against Sasuke's pale skin, but he noticed she was still easily the prettiest woman in the restaurant. Her flaws only enhanced her exquisite beauty.

Naruto, on the other hand, was too busy flipping through the menu to realize that Sasuke's attention had been riveted on her for the past few minutes. She bit the inside of her cheek as she had to skip past the ramen selections due to her money problem, and finally she found something she could afford.

"Naruto, that's the vegetarian page."

Naruto grimaced. "I'm on a diet." She saw the I-dont-fucking-believe-you look on Sasuke's face, and she fought the urge to stick her tongue out at the Uchiha. "What, you don't think I have that type of self-control?"

Sasuke was about to respond when their waitress suddenly appeared. Naruto analyzed the waitress' pretty, black-haired skinny figure. _She looks like a female Sasuke_, Naruto thought. The waitress - her name tag said "Patii" - had her attention focused only on Sasuke, and she had bent down seductively and was now looking at the Uchiha with bedroom eyes when she asked huskily, "What would you like to order, sir?"

Naruto turned her attention from Patii to Sasuke and almost flinched when she realized that Sasuke was still staring at her; he hadn't spared the waitress a single glance.

"Number sixty-five," he said emotionlessly, his eyes never leaving Naruto's face. He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms; Naruto could almost see the dare in his eyes as he waited for her to order.

"And you, miss?"

Naruto broke eye contact from the Uchiha and smiled as bravely as she could. "I-I'll take the caesar salad."

The waitress sniffed disdainfully and had almost finished writing down Naruto's order when Sasuke spoke.

"Naruto, you hate greens."

"You don't know that." _God, had her voice really gotten that high?_

Sasuke glared. He saw Naruto purposely avoid his eyes and fix her gaze at the salt and pepper condiments on the side of the table. He turned to the waitress. "Excuse me" - a glance at the waitress' name tag - "Patii, could you change that order?"

"O-of course, sir! What would you like?"

"Get this dobe the shrimp dumplings. But replace the shrimp with crab meat. She's allergic."

Patii beamed, her eyes almost becoming the shapes of hearts as she stared at the handsome Uchiha. "No problem, sir! But that would cost extra on the bill."

Sasuke waved a nonchalant hand at the waitress. "So be it."

Patii hurriedly bowed before reluctantly making her exit.

Naruto's cerulean eyes were still wide with shock. "Sasuke," she finally managed to choke out, "I didn't order that!"

"I know you didn't," Sasuke said calmly. "But I'd rather spend the next thirty minutes having a decent meal than watching you force greens down your throat."

Naruto's cheeks colored. "Seafood is too expensive for these parts. We're not near Water Country at all. It's worth triple what it'll cost there." She fidgeted uncomfortably. "I appreciate the gesture, but - "

"Dobe, I'm paying."

Naruto paused and she studied Sasuke's face for any sign of emotion. But his expression was impassive and blank. "You don't have to."

"Unless you want to get arrested for not paying the bill, I do."

"Th-that's why I said I'll get the salad!"

"Naruto." Sasuke's exasperated voice reminded her of Itachi. "Please, just enjoy lunch."

She blinked. Wasn't that her line? Twiddling with the paper wrap of her chopsticks, she smiled sheepishly at the man and said, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

The silence that followed was a comfortable one. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of the silly little smile she had on her face. She would keep making eye contact with the Uchiha, and although one of them would always look away immediately, she began to feel tiny butterflies in her stomach every time it happened. She was blushing profusely now, and when the food finally came, she was so grateful to have something else to focus on other than her hands and Sasuke's face.

The shrimp dumplings were everything she had dreamed they'd be. She knew that she wasn't eating real shrimp, but the crab meat replacement definitely could've fooled her. She noticed that Sasuke had a simple order of natto beans with rice, and she almost rolled her eyes. Of course he would.

Sasuke blinked as a platter of shrimp dumplings was thrust into his face. He looked up at the blonde.

"Take some!" she said.

He frowned at her. "I don't want it."

"Your food looks bland. And you're paying for this anyway. Take some."

He paused for a bit before giving in and taking a couple dumplings.

Lunch was finished at top speed. Both shinobi were used to wolfing down their food, and since no small talk was being made, all efforts went to their plates. Soon enough, Sasuke was leaving Patii's tip on the table, and the two of them walked out the restaurant's door.

"Sasuke?" Naruto tugged at his arm. "Can you buy me some ice cream?"

He looked down at the blonde, who was a good head or two shorter than him. His expression was unreadable, but after a moment, a quiet "Stay here" came from the stoic man.

Naruto watched Sasuke as he made his way across the street to a brightly colored ice cream stand. She hadn't expected this date to go so well. Sure, all this pretense was for the kids, but there was a small part of her that was screaming for her to get real. Although it pained her to admit, Naruto was warming up to the Uchiha again, and against her better judgment she remembered how he had looked that first time when she met him after Momo, Kaira and Ryuushiro had left the room. He had asked for her forgiveness, and she so vehemently denied it. It was safe for her to assume that he still had feelings for her, if his many jealous moments weren't a constant reminder, but...

Was it possible for her to trust him again?

"Here."

Naruto instinctively grabbed the ice cream cone that Sasuke held in front of her, and she grinned. "Strawberry!" she exclaimed. "You remember!" She then winced at her comment, not daring look up at Sasuke's face. She mentally kicked herself in the butt for making such a foolish remark.

"The horse stables are further down this path," Sasuke then said, acting like he hadn't heard her at all. "We should be able to get there in fifteen minutes."

She nodded numbly, clutching her ice cream as she tagged a few feet behind Sasuke once more.

**XXX**

"I change my mind."

Both Sasuke and the horse trainer Nobu looked at the blonde.

"Naruto," Sasuke said. He sounded indifferent, but his body language gave way to his irritation. "We didn't come out here in the middle of nowhere for you to chicken out."

Naruto turned red and she snapped indignantly at the Uchiha, "You never told me they were so big!" As if on cue, Kana, a soft brown mare that was calmly eating grass by the fence, neighed loudly. Naruto flinched. "She can easily stomp me to death."

Sasuke found himself at a wit's end. Naruto had no problem throwing herself into the most dangerous of situations without a single concern for her life - who's to mention the many Tailed Demons she had befriended - but she couldn't find the courage to approach a tamed horse?

The horse trainer Nobu cleared his throat. "You know, sir, you can accompany her also."

Naruto brightened. "You mean this horse can take two people?"

Nobu laughed. "No, not Kana. But you look like a lightweight, and I'm sure my strongest stallion is up for the task. I call him Black Beauty."

"Then you can ride with me, Nobu-san?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Me?" Nobu let out a bellow and patted his round belly. "Many many seasons ago, perhaps. But not today. Though your husband is definitely in shape to ride Beauty with you."

Naruto inwardly grimaced at Nobu's words, but she didn't try to correct the trainer. "If Sasuke is okay with it... I might consider it."

Nobu glanced at Sasuke for the Uchiha's approval, and when the raven-haired man said no protests, the horse trainer Nobu called for his wife. "Honey, can you bring out Black Beauty?"

Nobu's wife soon came out of the stables, one hand holding their three-year-old son Naoki and the other leading the most glorious beast Naruto had ever seen. Naruto gasped slightly as she saw the muscle ripple underneath Black Beauty's gorgeous black hair. The beast shook itself and neighed once before walking to its owner and playfully butting his nose against Nobu's back.

Nobu fondly patted Beauty before turning to Sasuke and Naruto. "What do you think?"

The look of wonder in Naruto's eyes did not escape Sasuke's notice, and he nodded grimly. "We'll take him." He walked over to Beauty and carefully grabbed the horse's reins in his hands. "Dobe, come on."

Naruto was too scared to notice the insult. "Sasuke, I'm really not sure about this."

"Dobe, this horse is not going to hurt you."

"I don't - "

Sasuke had walked over to Naruto and grabbed her hand, now leading her towards the direction of the horse.

"Sasuke!" she whispered in a panic.

Before she could react, two strong hands clamped around her middle, and in an instant she was straddling the horse. Another second later and Sasuke was seated comfortably behind her.

"You won't get hurt," he said. Sasuke's voice was low and persuading, and Naruto had to repress a shiver that tickled her spine. "Trust me, Naruto."

Trust? It was so ironic how she was wondering the exact same thing just a while ago outside the restaurant, but she bit her lip and nodded.

"Nobu-san," Sasuke said, taking Black Beauty's reins. "We'll be back in an hour."

Nobu smiled warmly up at the man. "Of course, Sasuke-san."

When Black Beauty and its two riders disappeared around a curve in the path, Nobu felt his wife's hand on his shoulder. He took her hand lovingly.

"You remember him, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course. It's been a few years, but I wouldn't mistake his face for anyone else's."

Nobu's wife smiled. "He's never taken the two-rider option before. That blonde girl... She must really mean something to him."

Nobu smiled in return. "That's something only Black Beauty would know."

**XXX**

Out of respect for Naruto, Sasuke had kept the horse at a walking pace, though he could sense the beast was itching to start a gallop. The Uchiha smirked, impressed at the horse's stamina and strength. Nobu had every right to boast of the stallion's power. Sasuke then realized Naruto had been deathly quiet for the past few minutes.

"Dobe."

Naruto shifted in her seat. She couldn't see Sasuke, but she heard the question in his voice.

"I'm okay, Sasuke," she said. "This - this is honestly the coolest thing I've ever done." Naruto closed her eyes and felt the fresh wind blow against her face, trying not to think about how her back was pressed up lightly against Sasuke's chest. She suddenly realized that her hair must've been blowing into his face. "Ah, I'm sorry, Sasuke, I forgot to tie up my hair." She quickly grabbed a rubber band from her wrist and braided her long blond locks into a side plait that fell halfway to her waist. She frowned slightly, wondering when had her hair grown so long.

"If the horse began to run, would you be scared?"

Naruto instinctively flinched. "Not if you can promise me I won't fall off."

Without warning, Sasuke immediately quickened Black Beauty's pace, and soon the horse was on a wild gallop through the open fields. Naruto yelled in surprise, but her yell turned into one of exhilaration as she realized that Sasuke's arms braced her in a secure hold. She began to laugh and shout, and although Black Beauty's speed would never match one of a high-ranked shinobi's, there was something about it that made her heart dance and soar in freedom.

A river soon appeared in the clearing, and Beauty slowed down, indicating to Sasuke that it wanted a drink. Sasuke complied and as Beauty stopped by the small stream, the Uchiha dismounted gracefully. He raised a hand to help the blonde, and with a little bit of squirming, Naruto soon found herself standing on her own two feet again.

"Whoa," she said, as her knees gave out. Sasuke's hand shot out to steady her. She muttered a quick "thank you" and rubbed desperately at her legs to get her blood circulation flowing. "Ow_._"

"It's normal."

Naruto stared at the Uchiha like she was suddenly seeing him in a new light. "Sasuke, I didn't know you could ride horses."

He never blinked when he responded. "Sakura liked to come here a lot in the summers."

"Oh."

Naruto knew it was jealousy that knotted her stomach into a twist, and she hated herself for it. "Nobu-san didn't say anything,' she said as indifferently as she could.

"I doubt they remember me."

"Have you ridden Black Beauty before?"

"I preferred him over the others."

Naruto bit the inside of her cheek and didn't meet Sasuke's eye as she walked to the riverbed. She saw her sadness reflected in the surface of the water, and it made her want to cry. She wasn't supposed to feel like this, like there was a green snake of envy coiled tightly in her chest. That couldn't possibly be right; she wasn't jealous, because how could she be jealous about someone she could care less about? She didn't give a rat's ass for Sasuke. But then why did this hurt so much? Why did she feel so absolutely crushed, this sudden reminder that Sasuke was still married to Sakura - and had been married to her - for the past eight years?

"I never rode with Sakura."

Naruto began to wash her hands in the water, keeping her gaze focused on a small, gray pebble in the stream. When had Sasuke gotten behind her? She felt so vulnerable and lost, and she wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her whole.

"Dobe."

She never ceased her washing, praying with all her might that he'll walk away. He didn't.

"Dobe." His hand came out to touch her shoulder. "Naruto, look at me."

"Leave me alone!" Naruto quickly twisted her shoulder out of his hand. She shakily got up and hurried past him, her eyes blankly staring straight ahead. But just when she thought she had gotten out of reach, he grabbed her arm and tightened his grip.

"Naruto."

She struggled vainly but couldn't not break free of the iron hold he had on her arm.

"Let go, Sasuke," she demanded as steadily as she could. Her voice sounded shrill to her ears. Her throat was tightening as she tried hard to not let tears form in her eyes. She had shown enough weakness in front of him already.

"Why do you do this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please look at me."

Naruto hesitated at the pleading tone in Sasuke's voice. The seconds ticked by, and when she realized that he wasn't going to let go of her arm any time soon, the blonde let out a breath of defeat and slowly turned to face Sasuke.

His cauldron black eyes were clouded with pain and emotion, and Naruto found herself falling into their midnight depths. She saw regret, hurt, sorrow and so much tenderness reflected in those black orbs that she stumbled back a step.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly. "Can we talk about this?"

"About what? There's nothing to talk about." She wanted to run away, but Sasuke's hand was still grabbing onto her forearm, locking her down as his tortured eyes pinned her to the spot. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest.

"About us," he said. He took a step closer to her but stopped when the blonde visibly stiffened. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "You keep hiding from the truth."

"What truth?"

Sasuke looked hurt at her words. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't."

"Naruto..." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I lo - "

"DON'T SAY IT!" The anger, confusion and panic she held at bay seemed to have snapped all at once, and Naruto shoved Sasuke as hard as she could. His back slammed forcefully against a tree trunk, and she wanted to sink her fist into his heart.

"Dont - you - dare - tell - me - that." Naruto spat out every word, and her body shook uncontrollably. Kyuubi's chakra was beginning to engulf her in a sea of red. "You have no right to say those words to me. Let me remind you, Sasuke, that you burned that bridge years ago."

Sasuke's eyes flashed crimson as he instinctively activated his Sharingan. "And I'm telling you, we need to talk about it!"

"THERE IS NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT!" Naruto stalked towards the Uchiha and jabbed a finger into his chest. Her eyes were almost as red as his Sharingan. "Just because I love your two brats more than life itself does not mean that love extends to you, Sasuke. Remember your place and I'll remember mine."

"Naruto, _listen to me_. I'm sorry for hurting you, but - "

"But nothing! We shouldn't have come today. I thought we could handle this situation professionally, but apparently not." The blonde gritted her teeth in frustration. "This conversation is over."

"Naruto, you know that I love y - "

She cut his sentence short as she slapped him across the face. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at him with grief-stricken, horrified eyes.

"How could you still have the _audacity_ to tell me that?" she whispered in disgust.

Sasuke barely felt the sting of her slap on his cheek. He wanted - no, he _needed_ - her to believe him. "Naruto, I don't know what happened all those years ago! That's why I need to talk to you - "

"You don't know what happened?" She had narrowed her eyes when she repeated his sentence, and an angry shudder went through her body. "I've heard a lot of sorry excuses in my life, Sasuke," she hissed, "but after yours, I think I've heard them all."

"Naruto, I never wanted to hurt you. Trust me when I say - "

There was a small _swoosh_ sound as Naruto suddenly retracted the red chakra from her body and directed it back into the seal. Her cerulean eyes were dull and blank when she looked at Sasuke, and after a few moments she shook her head and stumbled a couple steps back. She had a vacant, deadened expression on her face.

"Let me make this clear for you," she said flatly. "It was the worst mistake of my life to trust you. I don't want to talk about this anymore, Sasuke. Please don't bring it up again." She turned away and started walking to where Black Beauty was grazing in the distance. "Let's go back."

Sasuke stared after her retreating figure. His hand slowly came up to touch his cheek, where the slap mark now burned on his face.

**XXX**

* * *

School has started for me again so it may be awhile before I get back to this story. Please leave a review because you have no idea how much it means to me! Also constructive criticism is much appreciated. I write at sporadic times so it's very easy for simple things to slip my mind, and I always try to correct my mistakes whenever I can.

Thank you for reading and thank you for all your support :)

QUESTION: should Sasuke find out about Kakashi and Naruto?

leave your answers behind in a review!


	11. Chapter 10: Happy Birthday, Naruto II

there's an important message for you guys to read at the end! please don't skip it

**XXX**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Happy Birthday, Naruto Part II**

* * *

_The forest was eerily quiet, only the weak chirp of an occasional cricket to be heard from time to time. The cloudy night cast odd shadows onto the mossy floor, and the chill of the air kept most forest critters burrowed deep in their homes. A silver-haired shinobi remained hidden in the shrubbery, his pale eyes gleaming in the darkness. He had been in the same place for almost three hours now, and he could feel the restlessness itch in his creaking bones._

_A beetle scurried up the tree bark, and without blinking, the ninja threw a small kunai in its direction, slickly impaling it upon impact. His expression was one of boredom as he obediently waited for his client to arrive. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, beginning to regret his offer to come to this meeting spot._

_There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere, and the shinobi's hyperactive senses tingled. Someone was coming, and he prayed that it was at last the person he was waiting for._

_"Suigetsu!"_

_The shinobi grinned in the dark, showing rows of sharp, pointy teeth._

_"You're late, chibi."_

_"Don't call me that, piranha face."_

_A quick flash of yellow, and sixteen-year-old Naruto jumped into the clearing. She was breathing heavily from her long journey, and her whiskered cheeks were flushed red from exertion. Her two brilliant blue eyes glimmered in the dark._

_"Sorry for the delay," she said apologetically. "I met some stray shinobi a few miles back."_

_Suigetsu stood up stiffly and dusted the dirt off his clothes. "It's been three hours."_

_"And I said I was sorry, didn't I? I'll buy you sake."_

_The silver-haired man grinned widely. "Now you're talking." He suddenly noticed the bloodstains splattered across the young girl's clothes, and he frowned slightly. "Are you hurt?"_

_Naruto glumly raised her right arm and tugged the black sleeve off her shoulder. A large wet gash ripped through her tan skin. The wound started from the inside of her forearm and extended all the way to her collarbone, and it was already dripping blood onto the forest floor._

_"Fuck, Naruto!" Suigetsu cursed, jumping a step back. "What the hell happened?"_

_"I got caught off guard, dammit," she muttered. "Kyuubi's trying his best to heal the wound but I think it's poisoned."_

_"You don't know how to get rid of the poison?"_

_Naruto worried her lip. "I tried but I just ended up making it worse. I'm afraid Karin will need to patch me up. My arm is already numb."_

_Suigetsu groaned loudly and fell limp against a nearby tree. Despair and helplessness washed over the shinobi and he dejectedly bowed his head. With complete and utter seriousness, the white-haired ninja began to mutter incantations._

_Naruto stared at him suspiciously. "What the fuck are you doing, Suigetsu?"_

_"Isn't it obvious?" he retorted, keeping his eyes closed. The expression on his face could only be described as morose. "I'm saying my last prayers."_

_"What?"_

_"Shit, I knew I should've forced Juugo to come instead. At least he can survive a goddamn chidori in the chest. Why did you have to go and get yourself beat up? Sasuke-san will have my head if he sees his precious, little - ow!" Suigetsu's self-pity was cut short as Naruto's angry fist met the left side of his skull. "THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, UZUMAKI?"_

_Naruto's cerulean eyes glinted dangerously. "You're lucky that was my left arm, you overgrown salmon." She crossed her arms and glared. "Don't look down on me just because I'm a girl. I'll show you the real wrath of Nine-tails if Sasuke-teme dares to fuss over me like some protective mother hen. Let's go, I'm freezing my ass off." And with those words, the blonde furiously stalked away into the darkness._

_Suigetsu sighed and woefully rubbed his bruising temple. "Why do the both of them have such nasty tempers?"_

_The two silently walked a fair distance before the forest cleared and gave way to a meadow. There was a small house in the horizon, and lights shining from the windows indicated that people were present. Naruto's eyes widened momentarily before she turned to stare at the grinning Suigetsu._

_"You guys rented a cottage?" she asked in disbelief. "How did you manage that?"_

_Suigetsu clicked his teeth. "This area used to belong to Orochimaru, and after Sasuke-san killed that old bastard off, the people naturally accepted Sasuke-san as the new leader. It's not hard to exert some authority here and there and pull some strings." The man noticed Naruto twitch, and he chuckled in amusement. "Don't be like that. We didn't hurt anyone. Much." He laughed again at the sour expression on Naruto's face. "Come on, chibiko, let's get you fixed up."_

_The cottage was homely and cozy, with warm-red bricks and a small flower garden. The windows were tinted, giving the inhabitants of the house total secrecy. Naruto then noticed that the door was made from strong oak, and she found herself tracing its intricate design._

_"We're back," Suigetsu called out._

_"Took you long enough," came Karin's shrill voice. The door swung open and Naruto was relieved to feel a blast of warm air rush against her face. The autumn night was particularly cold tonight, and she was glad to finally be near a fireplace._

_"Hello," Naruto piped cheerfully, taking in Karin's red hair and horned glassed and realizing that she had actually missed the crazy bitch. "It's been a while."_

_"About three months," Karin sniffed. "You look exhausted, cousin."_

_Suigetsu's cheeky expression immediately became crestfallen. "You have no idea. Where is Sasuke-san? I prefer my death to be quick and painless."_

_Karin rolled her eyes. "Have you finally gone mad? Sasuke-kun went out with Juugo to check the parameters one last time. And Juugo needed to rebook our hotel rooms."_

_Naruto frowned. "You guys aren't sleeping here?"_

_The redhead snorted. "Goodness, no. It's your birthday. I'm sure you two will want as much privacy as possible."_

_Naruto flushed at the smirk on Karin's face. She opened her mouth to retort when Suigetsu suddenly grabbed both their hands and dragged them into the living room._

_"Suigetsu, what the hell - " Karin started to yell, but she fell silent when Suigetsu tore off Naruto's sleeve to show the horrible wound that resided underneath. The entire surface was now deep purple. "Oh my god."_

_Naruto fidgeted, embarrassment turning her whiskered cheeks pink. "I was careless. He attacked me from behind."_

_If Sasuke-kun sees this..." __Karin's face had turned white. "We'll be eaten alive."_

_Suigetsu was tearing at his hair. "I know, you hooch, so tell me, can you heal this or not?"_

_Karin fixed the hyperventilating Kirigakure ninja with a piercing glare. "If you shut the fuck up, maybe I can see what I can do." __And for once, Suigetsu was wise enough to not retort back._

_Naruto found herself being led to the leather couch. She tried to stay still in her seat as Karin professionally inspected the cut. The redhead muttered incoherently to herself before suddenly poking an area of the wound that seemed the worst off._

_"Ouch!"_

_"Dammit, Naruto, stop twitching."_

_"I'm trying," the blonde hissed back, tears coming to her eyes at the jabbing pain rolling off her shoulder._

_Karin's face looked grim as she continued the inspection. "How are things in Konoha?" the redhead asked absentmindedly._

_"It's okay," Naruto replied, making a face. "I think Baa-chan and Ero Sennin were getting suspicious which was why I decided to lay low for these few months."_

_Suigetsu barked a laugh. "You idiot, Sasuke almost died when he hadn't heard back from you in so long. You were lucky Juugo can communicate with his little bird shits."_

_"Shut up, Suigetsu," Karin muttered, a sweat breaking upon her brow as she concentrated. "Your voice is lowering my IQ."_

_Suigetsu was about to take out his sword when Naruto let out a pained whimper._

_"What the fuck is this poison?" the blonde hissed, biting down on her cheek. She felt like her shoulder was going to burn clean right off. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"_

_Karin straightened suddenly and seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "It's tigerbark."_

_Suigetsu's amethyst eyes flashed impatiently. "And?"_

_"Curable. Messy and painful, but curable." Karin pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Another day and you would've been a goner. You have Kyuubi to thank for delaying your demise."_

_Naruto rolled her eyes. "Guess the fox shit isn't so bad all the time." The blonde then noticed Karin rolling up her sleeves, and she recoiled back in horror. "Umm... are you doing what I think you're doing?"_

_Karin brought her bare forearm to Naruto's mouth. "Bite me."_

_Naruto's face turned green. "I really don't think - "_

_"You heard me, Naruto. Bite me."_

_"Can't you just patch me up the normal way?" the blonde pleaded. "I feel so cannibalistic if I do this."_

_Suigetsu snorted in the background. "Dumbasses."_

_"Tigerbark drains your chakra tremendously while it damages your tissues," Karin explained. "So I have to make sure you won't faint when I'm trying to extract the poison or else your defences will weaken even worse than it already has. Don't you feel lightheaded and feverish? That's the effect of tigerbark."_

_"But Karin," Naruto begged. "Chomping on your arm is savage."_

_Karin frowned in displeasure. "Naruto, the more you argue, the worse this situation is going to get."_

_"What situation?"_

_All three inhabitants of the room froze at the dangerously-low voice that could only belong to the one and only. They had been too preoccupied with the poisoned wound to have noticed anyone's entrance, and now hell was to be paid for the careless error. Naruto winced as she felt death intent ooze towards her direction, and she tried to not let her trepidation show on her face._

_Karin was the first to recover. "Sasuke-kun!" she said as she scrambled to her feet. "It's okay, I know it looks bad but I can heal her up in five minutes, so there is really nothing - "_

_"Naruto," the Uchiha said emotionlessly. "What did you do?"_

_Naruto inwardly groaned at the lecture she knew that was coming, but she steeled her resolve and raised her head to meet Sasuke's eyes and level his glare. To everyone else in the world, the icy anger that was rolling off the Uchiha in waves was terrifying. But Naruto saw past the facade and realized the worry that was bouncing off the walls behind the Uchiha's cold exterior, and she couldn't help herself as a small smile lifted the corners of her lips. _He's such a drama queen,_ she thought._

_"Do you find this amusing?" Sasuke asked dangerously, noticing Naruto's sudden elated mood. "Do you think this is funny?"_

_"I'm fine, Sasuke," Naruto scowled. "Karin knows how to heal this." She then turned to Karin before nodding grimly and - oh Lord help her - biting down onto the redhead's arm. Energy immediately consumed her and started to battle the fatigue that had been threatening her consciousness, and although she could taste Karin's blood in her mouth and the urge to vomit was overwhelming, the blonde had to admit that she felt a lot better. A sudden cooling sensation enveloped her arm, and Naruto realized Karin was now dealing with the poison in her tissues. She closed her eyes and gratefully accepted the redhead's treatment, until the pain was no longer lodged in her bones and most of the burning became a dull throb._

_"Done." Karin sighed as she fell back against the back of her chair. Sweat dripped down her face from the taxing task._

_Naruto then watched in satisfaction as Kyuubi's orange chakra manifested on her arm and cleanly sealed the rest of the wound. She warily stretched and rotated the newly-healed joint before turning a grinning countenance to the tired redhead. "Thank you, Karin!"_

_"Be careful next time, cousin," Karin replied. Her tone was reprimanding, but there was fondness in her usually aggressive eyes._

_Suigetsu let out a loud whoop. "Guess you aren't so useless after all, bitch. Man, Sasuke, I could've sworn you were going to kill all of us if you found out about this. Can you imagine if Naruto didn't make it here in time? Fuck I think you would've skinned the hell - OW YOU WHORE what the hell do you think you're doing?!"_

_Karin had walked out of her seat as soon as Suigetsu opened his mouth and she was now brutally dragging him towards the exit by his ear. She smiled sweetly at Sasuke when they passed him._

_"I assume Juugo's waiting outside?" the redhead asked, ignoring Suigetsu's protesting yelps. "Have a good night you two, but try to not wake the village up." And with that Karin unceremoniously kicked Suigetsu out the front door and followed suit, locking the cottage with a small click. Another few seconds and Juugo, Suigetsu and Karin's chakra signatures disappeared from the area._

_It was now just Naruto and the Uchiha._

_Naruto couldn't bring herself to meet Sasuke's eyes now that they were the only ones in the room, and she felt embarrassment engulf her for the tenth time that day._

_"I was careless, okay?" she muttered quietly. "It's not a big deal - "_

_"You could've lost your life," came Sasuke's biting remark._

_She flinched at the frosty tone of his voice, and it seemed like his words contained more venom than her wound previously had. __"I'm not a baby. Can we just drop this? I know how to take care of myself."_

_"And that was why I arrived to hear Karin say how you were just inches away from an irreversible death?" the Uchiha hissed._

_"I'm fine now, okay?" she said, scowling at the ground. "I haven't seen you in half a year and this is how I am welcomed?"_

_"Naruto, you still have a long way to go before you can carelessly run through the forest like you are the strongest shinobi - "_

_The sting in Sasuke's accusation proved too much for Naruto and she shot up out of her seat, her head snapping up to glare daggers at the Uchiha._

_"Fuck you, bastard!" she yelled. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks as her embarrassment kicked into overdrive. Damn him and his condescending words. "When did I ever say I was too good to be caught off guard? Blame me for being careless but don't accuse me of the wrong reasons, Uchiha Sasuke!"_

_The vein in Sasuke's forehead looked like it was ready to explode. "Then what reason did you have to be careless?"_

_She felt her throat constrict with emotion. "I was just excited to see you!" Her tears broke free and trickled down her face, and she angrily wiped at them. "But I can see now that I was just being an idiot. It's not like you felt the same." Having nowhere to escape from the Uchiha's stare, she dove for the couch and buried her face into a pillow._

_There was a long silence._

_"Dobe."_

_She ignored him, hatred and spite welling up from her gut. Fuck him and his insensitivity._

_"Dobe."_

_His voice was a lot softer now, but she still made no movement. He can go rot in hell, she thought. __She felt a hand touch her shoulder and she angrily shrugged it off. __"Go away," she said into the pillow, her voice coming out muffled. "I hate you."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_She froze, and his hand settled on her shoulder again. This time she allowed the touch, but she still had yet to make a sound._

_"Naruto, I'm not going to say it again."_

_Naruto couldn't help smiling at the stiffness in his voice and she turned around so that she was now facing the Uchiha, who had taken a cautious seat on the couch next to her. He was purposely looking to the side and his pale cheeks were tinted slightly pink from his apology, and she knew he was still reeling from the blow to his ego._

_"I'm sorry for worrying you." Naruto touched Sasuke's arm apologetically before wrinkling her nose discontentedly. "But I'm not a girl."_

_"Naruto," Sasuke said. Exasperation was written across his clear, obsidian eyes. "You are."_

_"I wasn't when we first met. And you had no problem beating the shit out of me then."_

_Sasuke smirked. "So you admit I beat the shit out of you."_

_Naruto noticed her poor choice of wording too late. She gawked for a moment before spluttering, "Wait, no, that's not what I meant, teme!"_

_The smirk did not disappear from Sasuke's face, and Naruto stuck her tongue out in response. She noticed Sasuke's hand slowly extending towards her, and she stilled as she felt him pull her shirt collar down, leaving her shoulder bare. She watched him carefully inspected the area where the horrible poisoned wound had resided just a few minutes prior._

_"See?" the blonde said softly. "I'm all better."_

_"Hn." His hand came to cup her bare shoulder, and Naruto immediately felt a shift in the tension between them. She found herself mesmerized by the depth in Sasuke's dark, obsidian eyes, and she almost sighed as she prepared herself for what was about to happen._

_The kiss was slightly hesitant at first, for it had been three months since the last that they had seen each other and neither knew how the other felt, but Naruto then grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him in, so that he was now almost lying on top of her. His weight felt comforting against her body, and she flushed when his arms came to wrap around her. She suddenly broke the kiss and stared at him, both of their breaths coming in light pants and foreheads pressed gently against the other._

_"Sasuke," she said. Her cerulean eyes burned with love for the boy who touched her soul._

_"Hn."_

_"I've missed you."_

_She got another mind-blowing kiss in response. "Wait, Sasuke..." she breathed out, trembling as his lips moved to brush and tickle against her exposed neck._

_"What, dobe?" he gently growled. The Uchiha didn't like how she kept feebly trying to fight off his advances._

_"Come back to Konoha with me."_

_A dark look flashed through Sasuke's handsome face at Naruto's quiet plea, and he pushed himself off the couch so that he was no longer on top of her._

_"You know I can't do that."_

_"But you can," Naruto said. She got into a sitting position and raised her hand to gently cup Sasuke's face. His hand came to wrap around hers, but he stared unseeingly into space. The Uchiha's jaw jutted out angrily as he clenched his teeth. The blonde frowned at Sasuke's negative reaction. "Teme, look at me."_

_He mechanically turned his head so he was facing her, but there was no emotion now in his midnight eyes._

_"Come home," Naruto then repeated. "There is a place for you in Konoha."_

_"I cannot return to Konoha until I have killed that man, Naruto," Sasuke said flatly. "You know that. There is no place for Konoha in my life."_

_Naruto's sapphire eyes seemed to grow larger on her face with the sorrow that encompassed her. "And me? Is there a place for me in your life?"_

_Sasuke looked away. "I cannot let myself be distracted. I am an Avenger." His voice was listless._

_"So this is nothing? You deny what you feel - here?" At her last words, Naruto placed her hand against Sasuke's chest, right over his heartbeat._

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

_"You can leave, Naruto. I'm not asking you to stay."_

_Naruto smiled sadly. She had not expected a different answer, but it still hurt. She knew in every fiber of her being that he loved her more than life itself, but the fact that he struggled so hard from the truth, was so unwilling to accept the truth, cut her deeper than any knife._

_"I'm not going to leave," the blonde replied. She then grinned bravely before snuggling herself into Sasuke's lap. She felt butterflies flutter in her stomach at her bold move, but her heartbeat slowed when he didn't try to push her off. "But it doesn't mean I'm not going to keep trying. You and I are stuck together like glue. You will come home with me someday, even if I have to drag your sorry ass back the whole way. I swear on my nindo-ttebayo!"_

_Sasuke stayed silent as he mulled over the blonde's determined words. Naruto watched him carefully, noticing the way his lips seemed to twitch with the ghost of a smile and how his shoulders relaxed considerably. She yelped a little in surprise when his arms tightened and brought her closer to him so that her face was pressed against his chest, but she couldn't complain and she contentedly breathed in the soothing scent that was uniquely his. She didn't need words to understand what was being expressed by his body language._

Thank you for not leaving me.

_Naruto then felt Sasuke's hands begin to move in small, delicate circles on her back, and a delighted hum filled the air._

_Sasuke smirked at the purring blonde he held in his arms. "Happy sixteenth birthday, Naruto," he said, before lowering his head and taking her waiting lips in a tender kiss._

_There was only one thing going through Naruto's mind as she fell into a paradise of warm touches and wonderful sensations._

I love you, Sasuke... I love you, Sasuke... I love you, Sasuke...

**XXX**

She awoke with a jolt, feeling extremely disoriented, as if she had slept through eternity and back. The remainders of that memory burned into her heart like a flaming stake in her chest, and she badly needed a glass of water. The blonde made a move as if to get up, but that plan went to shits when a sharp shooting pain impaled her back onto the bed. She clutched at her head and fought back a scream.

A steady hand suddenly brushed against her forehead and massaged the area, and Naruto instinctively relaxed into the comforting feeling. Her killer headache lightened somewhat, and when she could, the blonde groggily opened her eyes to see who her savior was.

Only to freeze when it was the face of Uchiha Sasuke who swam into her vision. Actually there were two Sasukes that blurred in and out of sight, as she was still suffering the onslaught of that headache.

She started to struggle away from his grasp when the Uchiha gently but firmly grabbed her shoulders and kept her pressed against the bed.

"Naruto," he said softly. "What do you remember?"

She felt cold, stark terror at his question. Was it possible that he read her mind? How else could he have known she was remembering that first time she had spent her birthday with him? The touches of his hands and the taste of his lips were still fresh on her mind and she fervently prayed he could not, would not, and did not know.

Sasuke must've seen the confusion and horror plastered on her face, and he loosened his hold on her.

"Naruto," he said slowly, as if he was speaking to a mentally ill patient. "You got kicked in the head by Black Beauty."

Naruto blinked owlishly as she tried to remember. She opened her mouth to reply but all that came out was a dry croak.

Sasuke immediately reached for the glass of water that was placed on a nearby dresser and brought it to Naruto's lips, who gratefully drank until there was nothing left. She tried again.

"Where am I?" It was a hoarse rasp, but nonetheless Naruto felt proud that she managed to get the words out this time around.

"Nobu's guest house," Sasuke said. His eyes were an unreadable black. "He said we could stay the night."

Naruto groaned softly as her headache gave a painful throb. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" There was a hint of concern in Sasuke's voice.

"No... I just... I..." She bit back a shriek as the pain shot from her head throughout her whole body, and she shivered uncontrollably."What's happening," she whispered with teeth clenched in pain. "Why isn't Kyuubi healing this?"

"He healed some of it," Sasuke replied. His hand came to massage against Naruto's forehead once more. "But while you were unconscious you kept lashing out with Kyuubi's chakra and he sealed his chakra supply so you wouldn't be able to access it."

Naruto then noticed the angry welts and burns on Sasuke's forearms, and her cerulean eyes widened. "Did I... do that to you?"

"It doesn't hurt."

Naruto stared at the man who was setting next to her on the bed, and although it had been thirteen years since her sixteenth birthday, there was such a familiarity in the present scene that deja vu overwhelmed her. She was supposed to hate this man, detest him for what he did to her. But this very moment, the way he was staring at her made her feel too much like the sixteen-year-old Naruto who had thought love was enough to heal all wounds.

_Come back to Konoha with me._

He had betrayed her. He didn't care about her. He never cared about her.

_Sasuke, please. Don't do this anymore. Don't hurt me anymore._

He didn't want her. It had all been a lie from the start. She believed his empty words and broken truths, and now she had to suffer eternity for it.

_You promised, Sasuke. You promised me._

The maelstrom of emotions struggled to break free, and she fought to keep them at bay. She couldn't do this. The combination of physical and emotional pain was causing her to go insane, and this man that was now looking at her with so much worry in his eyes, why did he think it was okay to do what he did and still try to come back into her life?

"Dobe."

The one word hit way too close to home, and Naruto shattered into a million pieces. She began to sob into her hands, and her migraine intensified with every shaky breath she took. She wanted to forget everything, to do anything to make the pain stop. She didn't know where she was hurting, but it didn't matter because it was consuming every inch of her body and soul. There was no salvation from the past, no redemption for the future. Only pain, and the pain was forever.

She felt Sasuke's arms wrap her into a warm embrace, and she did not attempt to break away. Instead she cried into his chest as he whispered words into her ear, words that she did not recognize, words that she did not want to accept. For he had betrayed her in the worst of ways, and all she wanted was to die. Why hadn't she died? Why didn't Kyuubi let her choke and drown in the puddle of her blood those many years ago?

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto," came Sasuke's voice through the haze. "Listen to me. Everything will be okay, don't cry anymore. Everything will be fine."

She cried harder. How could he still tell her these lies? Did he have no shame?

_Why, Sasuke? Why did I mean nothing to you?_

He had left her for dead. Her and that baby she -

_Come... home._

A flash of red.

Naruto screamed. There was blood everywhere, and she didn't know where hers ended and his began. Her mind was turning into a sea of black, but before her terrified eyes rolled back into unconsciousness, she shakily reached up to cup his face.

There was a pause as cerulean clashed with onyx.

"S-Sasuke," she begged weakly right before she blacked out. "Why... didn't you love me?" Her arm fell limp to her side as her eyes fluttered shut.

The Uchiha clutched the unconsciousness blonde in his arms as he shook back and forth on the bed. "I do love you, Naruto," he whispered into the dark. He didn't know if the tears he tasted in his mouth were hers or his own. "I've never stopped loving you."

**XXX**

_"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."_

_Naruto hopped out of the shower, quickly grabbing a towel to wrap around her body and another to dry her short spiky hair. She reached over with her foot and turned off the water with one toe, almost tripping and falling flat against the wall as she twisted around. Jumping on one leg, she somehow managed to open the door with her wet hand and make a mad dash for the kitchen._

_Her food was about to burn._

_The blonde burst into the room in a panic, stumbling over some forgotten pieces of trash on the floor. But when she saw that her pot of soup was innocently sitting over the small fire, the girl slumped against the doorway in relief. Safe. The sigh that escaped her was short-lived, however, as the water level overflowed in the pot and started sizzling._

_"Fuck!"_

_She was at the stove in an instant, hastily lifting the lid and beginning to madly stir the contents of the pot. It wasn't her first try at cooking, but this recipe she got from Sakura certainly proved to be the most troublesome dish Naruto had ever attempted. But the blonde was determined to slay the beast and come out victorious. A bowl of soup was not enough to end her cooking career._

_"No, no," she muttered furiously to herself as she took a sip. "It needs salt."_

_Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she carefully sprinkled a few pinches of salt into the red liquid mass of tomato basil soup. An air bubble boiled and popped, as if it were mocking her and her futile efforts. Naruto scowled in response and stirred madly away._

_Everyone in Konoha had been surprised when their number one hyperactive ninja decided to adopt this particular housekeeping hobby. Granted, most of them were oblivious of said ninja's real gender, but even Tsunade and Jiraiya had dubious expressions when a beet-red Naruto barged into the Hokage's office asking the Godaime for some "pots and pans and whatever else people use to make food."_

_"But Naruto," Tsunade had said with eyebrows furrowed, "excuse my ignorance, but I've always thought you'd be forever content just microwaving ramen for the rest of your life."_

_A boy-henged Naruto turned even redder. She managed to stammer an incoherent excuse and muttered that she'll drop by in a week to pick up the utensils before quickly stalking out of the room, leaving two terribly confused Legendary Sannin in her wake._

_There was a moment of silence._

_"Do you think," Jiraiya then said slowly, "she might be in love?"_

_Tsunade choked into her sake. "You've been reading too much of your rotten books again, Jiraiya."_

_"But - "_

_"Oh stuff it," came the Godaime's irritated voice. "It's too early in the day for you to subject me to your perverted antics."_

_A relieved Naruto had released out a loud breath as she pulled her ear back from the door, where she had been cautiously eavesdropping on the two elders' conversation. She knew she had narrowly escaped an interrogation from her overly protective godmother, and she was very grateful at the moment that sometimes people just could not take the Ero Sennin seriously._

_"Dobe."_

_Naruto was roughly jerked back to present day as she yelped in surprise, almost tipping over her large pot of soup upon hearing the intruder's voice. She was about to whip around to face the culprit, but froze when she felt his hot breath against her exposed neck._

_"Dobe," the voice growled again. "Why are you naked?"_

_Naruto's heart pounded loudly in her ears. "T-Teme, I'm wearing a towel!"_

_"So I realized," he said softly. The ghost of his hands came to wrap around her waist and slowly began to climb upwards. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she felt her knees go weak. "And let me ask you again, why are you naked?"_

_"I'm not - ah - " Her mind had instantly stopped working as she felt his lips close in on the nape of her neck, and from there he sinfully started nipping and kissing her bare skin. His hands were dangerously close to her breasts, and she was paralyzed to the spot. "I'm... not... naked..." she managed to gasp out._

_"Really?" His voice was dripping with sex. "Then I suggest you put on some clothes before I rip this towel off you."_

_Naruto moaned a little as she felt his finger lightly tweak a nipple through the thin fabric of her towel, but just when she was about to relax into his embrace, his warmth disappeared._

_"Wha - Bastard!"_

_She whisked around to glare at the handsome raven who was now seated at the dining table, his expression the picture of pure innocence save for the devious smirk dancing on his lips._

_"Sasuke," she hissed, her bright blue eyes flashing in warning. "I have a doorbell for a reason, you know."_

_Sasuke could feel the heat of desire burn in the pit of his stomach as he stared at his fiery blonde, clad in nothing but an obnoxiously orange towel - why was he not surprised - and brandishing a large, steel ladle in her hand. He had been startled when he smelled the aroma of his favorite soup wafting in the area as he neared her apartment, and he couldn't help but sneak in through the open window as his curiousity peaked. Finding his blonde working furiously over her stove as she perfected his favorite dish made his chest feel strangely warm, and he was glad he had caught her in such a precious moment._

_Naruto, however, was scowling. "You weren't supposed to come until next week."_

_Sasuke shrugged. "I finished an assignment early."_

_"You could've sent a message."_

_"Hn."_

_"This is dangerous, bastard! Suppose Tsunade-baachan finds out?"_

_"That never stopped you from searching me out." Sasuke cocked his head to the side before narrowing his eyes. "You don't look excited to see me, dobe."_

_Naruto's glare deepened. "You ruined my surprise," she snapped._

_Sasuke's expression softened. "It wasn't ruined. I was surprised. I still am. I didn't know you started cooking."_

_The blonde's cheeks tinged pink. "It's a recent hobby," she said quickly. "I'm still not very good."_

_"It smells delicious, dobe."_

_Her face flushed even more. "Shut up."_

_There was a silence, and Naruto shifted uncomfortably. She felt awkward, standing there in her kitchen in nothing but her post-shower garment and watching over a bubbly mess of tomato soup. She hadn't seen Sasuke in a couple months, and they had agreed to meet at a nearby village for his seventeenth birthday. So for the past few weeks Naruto had made it her personal mission to surprise him by cooking his favorite dishes. She wasn't as bad of a cook as she had dreaded, but it still took a lot of trial and error to acquire some adequate skill and land her at the level she was at now._

_But he was six days early, catching her in the middle of her act and consequently ruining her surprise. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, he was in her apartment. For the first time since he had left Konoha, actually. And she hadn't cleaned up in a while. Gods, how mortifying._

_"Dobe, what's wrong now?"_

_Naruto muttered something incoherent as she avoided looking at Sasuke in the eye. She knew her face must've been as red as the goddamn tomatoes that Sasuke loved to eat, and she wished that the floor would swallow her whole._

_She suddenly flinched when she heard the screech of the chair as Sasuke stood up. She waited for him to cross the distance between them, her breath caught in her throat as nervous energy bounced off her body in waves. She soon was face to face with his chest, but she still didn't tilt her head back to look at his face._

_"Naruto..." Sasuke's voice was so soft and gentle, and she could feel her muscles already relaxing at the sound. His left hand came to cup her cheek, while the other hand snaked around her waist to pull her closer to his body._

_"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said. His hand rubbed circles on her whiskered cheek. "I just wanted to see you. The soup smells delicious, Naruto. I'm really happy. Thank you."_

_Naruto smiled at the genuine tone of the Uchiha's voice before finally taking a step back to gaze fondly up at his face. She saw nothing but warmth in his usually passive eyes, and the blonde's smile quickly turned into a grin._

_"I forgive you."_

_Her breath once again caught as the look in Sasuke's eyes quickly turned predatory, and the mood in the room went back to a tension-filled atmosphere, only this time Naruto's jittery energy had nothing to do with her previous awkwardness. The hand that had been resting against Naruto's cheek gently glided down to the valley of her breasts, where the clip holding her towel in place was located._

_Sasuke's eyes then darkened. "You have no idea, dobe, how much you've tortured me for these past few weeks," he said, his voice husky and rough with lust. "I ought to punish you for making me wait this long."_

_She shivered. "Sasu... ke," she whispered, her eyes glazing over with her own desire as she felt the Uchiha toy with her towel's clip, "don't tease."_

_He growled softly before swiftly grabbing the blonde's shoulders and whirling her around so that her back was to him and her stomach was pressed against the counter. In his haste, the orange towel suddenly slipped out of place and her breasts spilled onto the cold surface._

_"Sasuke!" Naruto hissed in protest, trying to turn around to face him. But Sasuke was having none of that, quickly caging her in with his arms and pushing her even harder against the edge of the counter. She would've fought his grip, but he had positioned himself in such a way that his hardness was now pressing against her most secret of places, and all she could manage was a strangled groan._

_"What's that?" he murmured into her ear. "I didn't quite hear you, dobe." He didn't wait for a response as his hands lunged for her chest, and Naruto threw back her head in pleasure as he ripped moans out of her throat with the way his hands started kneading and playing with her breasts. She felt wetness pooling in between her thighs as the sensations his skillful fingers created drove her mad, and instinctively she rubbed herself harder against Sasuke, eliciting a shudder from the Uchiha. He then pinched hard on both her nipples, causing her to cry out and writhe in pleasure, and her breathing became short pants._

_"S-Sasuke," she said, moaning softly. "P-please, I want you."_

_Her statement earned her another sharp pinch, and she keened in desperation._

_"S-stop teasing, you bastard."_

_"Insulting me isn't going to make it any better for you, dobe," he whispered in her ear. His hands left her breasts and ghosted their way to her hips, where he grabbed her firmly and secured his hold. His lips then latched onto her earlobe and began to suck, yet before her mind could register the sensations his mouth was leaving on her ear, Sasuke thrusted onto her small body, and a near scream came from her as his rock-hard erection rubbed delicious friction against her most sensitive area. But his thrust didn't stop there. He kept a tantalizing rhythm as he continued his movements, rocking hard enough to make her squirm, yet not enough to satisfy her insatiable desire._

_"Sasuke!" She was close to tears now. "Please..."_

_"You're being too loud," his devilish voice teased as he licked and nipped at her ear. "What if your neighbors hear?"_

_"I-I don't care," Naruto breathed out, trying hard to concentrate on the feeling of his erection pressing against her bottom. She was dying for the release that only he could give her, and her mind was becoming more and more muddied as her lust for the Uchiha only intensified. "Sasuke!" she screamed again as a particularly hard thrust made its way to rub against her clit. Her hands, which had been holding tightly onto the edge of the counter, suddenly shot behind her to grab for Sasuke's pants._

_But Sasuke wasn't going to let her have her way so easily._

_A growl rumbled from the Uchiha's chest, and before she had a chance to react, her hands were suddenly locked in front of her and a strip of cloth was tied around her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock before she realized that in a split second, Sasuke had effectively bound and gagged her._

_Sasuke's mouth had found its way to her ear again, and she shivered at the predatory intent laced in his voice._

_"I care if your neighbors hear, dobe," he whispered, his voice low and seductive, "because what if some guy comes running in here when he hears you screaming and sees me fucking your little pussy raw?" Naruto moaned into her gag, her eyes closed as she felt herself clenching. Sasuke continued relentlessly. "Because I'm promising you right now, dobe, that I'm not letting you go anywhere today until you've screamed your throat raw with my name, and any person who comes in here and sees you like this will be personally killed by me." The last few words were finished with a hiss, and Sasuke bit down hard onto Naruto's shoulder, drawing blood and leaving a red mark in its place._

_Naruto screamed at the sharp pain, yet her womanhood only got slicker and wetter, and she could feel her juices running down the insides of her thighs. Her moans were a constant sound now, and although Sasuke's bondage kept her dominated and vulnerable, it only turned her on even more. He was the only one she would let rein her spirit, and although their relationship was complicated and unofficial, there was no other person she would rather be than him._

_The blonde turned her head to stare into the eyes of her lover, her beautiful, possessive Sasuke, and finally he relented his sexual torture as he loosened the sash around his middle and stepped out of his clothing. Naruto closed her eyes and stilled as she felt the tip of his hard cock brush against her wet entrance, and Sasuke's hands came to rest on her breasts again._

_He paused for a brief second, as if preserving this moment to memory._

_"Naruto."_

_And then he pushed in, and Naruto screamed as she fell into a swirling world of pleasure, sensation, and love._

**XXX**

Naruto started awake, her breaths coming in hard pants and her heart painfully pounding against her chest. She was sweating, and she made a move as to wipe her forehead but disturbingly found that she couldn't. Another tug at her arms caused her to realize that her wrists were bound to the opposite sides of the bed. She winced as her tugging only aggravated her chafed wrists.

"Dobe."

Her eyes shot to the man seated on the chair next to her bed. His eyes bled red as his Sharingan pierced right into her. It was hard to say who was the more wary one.

"Are you awake now," Sasuke then asked dryly, his expression impassive if it weren't for the slightly worried crease of his brow, "or is this another episode?"

Naruto felt her throat constrict as she stared at the Uchiha, her most recent memory washing over her and burning into her skin. She wondered how many times she had woken up like this only to fall back into unconsciousness. "What time is it?"

"It's the evening," he said. "You have been passed out for almost twelve hours."

She noticed the black circles under his crimson eyes. "You used your Sharingan on me," she accused softly.

His vacant expression didn't change. "It was the only way to stop your nightmares."

Naruto looked away. She couldn't bring herself to ask just what she had said out loud as she feverishly relived the flashbacks of her past, but for some odd reason, there was a certainty in her heart as she scrutinized his blank expression that caused her to believe that he knew enough. "My head doesn't hurt anymore."

"Kyuubi healed the wound. But the infection gave you a fever, and it only recently broke."

The blonde processed the information slowly, a billion questions running through her mind. Her heart wouldn't stop aching.

"I'm okay now," she then said when she was sure her voice wouldn't waver. "Can you remove these cuffs?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but almost immediately he got up from his seat and silently padded over to her bedside. Without further ado he sliced through the cloth using a small kunai, and when he was done he looked at her with unreadable obsidian eyes as if waiting for a reaction from her.

"You must be hungry," he said after a moment. He turned to leave.

"Wait," Naruto said. She had spoken so softly that she was slightly surprised when he stopped to give her a questioning look.

There was a long silence.

"I..." She felt her throat threaten to close and she fought against it. "I just want to thank you - for taking care... of me. You didn't have to."

His face held a strange expression, but he said nothing and gave a curt nod of his head. He turned to leave again.

"Sasuke." Her own voice sounded so fragile to her ears.

He paused in his step.

"I am not... hungry," Naruto admitted slowly. She felt fatigue settling back into her limbs. "There is no need." She stared pensively at his rigid back. He looked like a statue. The blonde bit her lip in conflict before shaking her doubts away. "Will you stay?" she asked gently. "You look tired, and..." She could see his muscles tensing even more under his thin shirt. "And the bed is big enough for both of us," she finished.

It really was like he had turned into a statue. Even at such a close distance, Naruto couldn't make out the signs of his breathing. But she waited patiently, although the seconds that ticked by seemed like an eternity.

But at last there was a twitch of a shoulder, and Sasuke slowly turned around. He didn't look at the quiet blonde as he walked over to the edge of the bed, nor did he spare her a glance as he climbed over her tired body into the empty space next to her. He lightly slipped under the covers and effortlessly used a short chakra blast to blow out all five candles placed around the corners of the room, shrouding the two of them in darkness. But not once had he released the rigidity of his body, not even when his head had been carefully placed on the pillow and his body pressed against the soft cushions of the mattress.

"Sasuke." Her voice cut through the darkness like a sharp knife.

He stilled.

"I don't hate you."

He couldn't breathe.

She sounded so sad, so small. "I don't know what I feel towards you."

He felt his mouth open, and words came tumbling out of his lips. "What - did I do to you that you cannot... forgive me for?"

Naruto shifted slightly, the movement causing the mattress to squeak. "Why do you not know?" she asked in a broken whisper. A breathless sob fell from her, and she inhaled deeply. "Give me time," she then said after a long while. "I... need time. I will decide after."

_Decide what?_ his mind asked over and over. But he didn't want to push her, so he remained quiet. He felt her shift again, and he fought the urge to pull her close.

"Sasuke."

How was it possible for her to make his heart bleed so easily?

"Hn."

"I dreamed about you. About... us."

_I know,_ he wanted to tell her. _I heard you screaming... And moaning._ But all the Uchiha could manage to say was another noncommittal "hn."

"I don't know who or what we've both become..." Her sad, sad voice seemed to cut deeper into his chest. "I don't know what's gonna happen in the future. But Sasuke, I really... really miss you..." The last sentence was a soft murmur, and Sasuke had to strain his ears to catch every word. He stiffened at the implications of her confession, yet he was spared of a response when the soft lull of her breathing indicated that the blonde had already fell asleep.

Sasuke closed his eyes as a newfound warmth battled against the old pain lodged in his chest. He reached over and then tenderly pulled the small blonde into his chest, burying his face into her golden locks.

"I miss you too, Naruto."

He allowed the soothing smell of her honey and strawberry scent guide him into a deep slumber, and the two shinobi slept in each other's embrace for the first time in twelve years. Although it was only this one special night that was an exception to the animosity that had become the reality of their relationship, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke both unconsciously smiled in their sleep as they slept peacefully into the night.

**XXX**

* * *

I think I've reached a point with this story where I'm just very unhappy with how it's turning out. **PLEASE READ THIS!**

I feel that this story has developed so much that I cannot control it. I do not fully understand who Naruto has become. She is emotional and strong and crazy and passionate and hurt and forgiving and loving and hateful that even I, the author, have such a difficult time putting up with her mood swings (forget Sasuke) that she feels so OOC to me. Which is lame because I'm the one creating this character, but there is too much of a time gap between when I write my fanfiction and when I stop that I can't really remember how I left off to properly start it again.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't continue this story if it were up to me, but I know how it feels to love a story to death and have the author suddenly go MIA, so I guess if there is enough support from you readers to have to me to try to continue this story, I will NOT abandon this story and do my best to finish it. Maybe this OOC in Naruto only bothers me and you people don't really care about it, I don't know.** But I will only continue if I feel like there are enough readers who care to see the completion of this fanfic.**

If not... I'm not sure if I will ever feel the need to update this anymore. Fanfiction is really something that I do in my sparest of spare times and so all of my motivation come from you lovely readers.

**Please leave your feedback in a review.** You can always PM me if you have other questions or comments.


End file.
